Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons is slated to return to the lineup as early as March 17th.
The Buffalo Sabres are getting one of their lifers back. Zemgus Girgensons, out for 18 games with a lower-body injury will return during this three-game road trip, barring a sudden setback.
On Tuesday’s practice, head coach Don Granato placed Girgensons on the Eakin line that also included winger Kyle Okposo. Something the Latvian forward was excited about.
"“Oh, it’s awesome, we had a good start of the season as a line,” Girgensons said, when asked about playing alongside Okposo once more, via Buffalo Hockey Beat."
The Sabres also waived Mark Jankowski to make room for Girgensons’ return. Jankowski mainly served as nothing more than a healthy scratch and has not seen in-game action since February 23rd.
Returning Girgensons to the lineup also forced John Hayden to serve as an extra skater, indicating may be a scratch when Girgensons returns to the lineup full-time. While it’s great to see a seasoned veteran like Girgensons returning to the lineup, does he still fit with this rebuilding Sabres team?
Where does Zemgus Girgensons fit into the Buffalo Sabres?
In the past two seasons, Girgensons has played in just 34 NHL games. He missed all of 2020-21 with a lower-body (hamstring) injury, and reaggravating that same hamstring is supposedly what caused him to miss time this season.
Girgensons has logged over 15 minutes of ice time this season for the first time since 2015-16. Having made his NHL debut in 2013-14, Girgensons is a familiar face at the KeyBank Center. But he has never logged over 30 points in a single season, which came in 2014-15, when he logged 19:05 of ice time for the only time in his career.
If Girgensons were to stay in Buffalo, it would be as a third-liner at best. But there are a few positives to his game. He can be a physical player, having logged 110 hits or more each season, including 49 in 34 games before his injury this year.
He is also a tremendous puck handler, having committed just six giveaways in 2021-22 and 101 throughout his career. He also logged a career-high 49.1% in face-off wins.
Girgensons has a spot on this team if the Sabres don’t ask much more than 15 minutes of less of ice time. He’s a tremendous role player on the lower lines who can win face-offs and set things up for incoming scoring lines.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)