Buffalo Sabres: Three reasons Mark Pysyk may return

Reliable Insurance

Pysyk’s leadership qualities will also make him reliable insurance. Plus, he knows Granato’s system and the other players well enough that there will be chemistry between him and guys like Casey Fitzgerald and Jacob Bryson.

We also need to face the fact that Owen Power will have stretches where it’s better if he sits for a game or two after lackluster performances. Not saying it will be a thing, but as teams get more acclimated to the rookie, he will have poor performances. So instead of keeping him out there with the wolves, sometimes it’s better to give a young player like Power a break.

And that’s where Pysyk comes in. Further, if the injury bug hits the Sabres defensive rotation, Pysyk can slide right into the lineup and perform his role well. He proved he can still play last season when he picked up where McCabe left off.

So if there is one older defenseman from last season most likely to return, it’s Pysyk. Not that it will happen. But the odds are higher among the Buffalo Sabres unrestricted free agents.