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Buffalo Sabres: Is Lawrence Pilut about to make a big return?

By Sion Fawkes

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Lawrence Pilut #24 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the New York islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on March 30, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. The Islanders defeated the Sabres 5-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Lawrence Pilut #24 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the New York islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on March 30, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. The Islanders defeated the Sabres 5-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Buffalo Sabres made a few splashes in the 2022 NHL Draft, but a former draft pick may be making his way back to the franchise.

The Buffalo Sabres still hold rights to Lawrence Pilut. And the defenseman, who left the team to join the KHL from 2020 to 2022, is now free to return to the NHL after Traktor Chelyabinsk terminated his contract.

Pilut went undrafted in 2013 and eventually wound up with the Sabres after a stellar season in Sweden’s SHL, in which he scored 38 points (eight goals) in 52 contests. He ended up playing in just 46 games for the Sabres before he signed with Traktor Chelyabinsk following the shortened 2019-20 NHL Season.

The Buffalo Sabres are interested in bringing Lawrence Pilut back

Per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, the Sabres want to bring Pilut back into the fold and he did state interest on returning to the organization under a two-way contract. This would likely put him into the AHL at a substantially lower pay, given the logjam at defenseman on the main roster.

It is also a stark contrast from the one-way contract he was looking for prior to leaving the NHL for the KHL. But times change and people change, so the versatile Pilut realizes that he would need to work his way back into the Sabres lineup.

So what would be the most likely outcome regarding Pilut? Odds are, he would start out on the top defensive pairing in Rochester, with an outside chance to eventually re-join the Sabres if he outplays the likes of Casey Fitzgerald and most likely Jacob Bryson. Both of whom are slated to man Buffalo’s third pairing as of July 10th.

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We will see what becomes of Pilut in the not-so-distant future. But if he returns to the organization, you can expect Pilut, at worst, to provide reliable depth as part of the first pairing in the AHL. And it should also surprise no one if he earns his way onto the Sabres main roster some time in 2022-23.

Article Source: Lawrence Pilut, Sabres move closer to reunion with his exit from Russia by Lance Lysowski

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