Buffalo Sabres 2023 lineup projection 4.0: Pre-free agency

Free agency is nearly upon us, but don’t expect the Buffalo Sabres to sign a big name at forward even with Jack Quinn’s injury. 

With Jack Quinn slated to miss a few months because of an Achilles injury, you can take my previous lineup projection – Buffalo Sabres lineup projection 3.0 – and toss it. Or perhaps you can just save it, as Quinn should be back when the new year rolls around.

In the meantime, though, the Sabres will be adjusting their lineup accordingly, but as I’ve noted several times, this shouldn’t change their approach regarding Victor Olofsson. If general manager Kevyn Adams can find a viable trade partner for the Swede, he will end him off.

Therefore, lineup projection 4.0 will not include Olofsson, and it also won’t include Quinn. So how will things stack up with the second-year winger on the mend? Here is my latest projection:

Buffalo Sabres lineup projection 4.0

Forwards

• Skinner – Tage – Tuch
• Mittelstadt – Cozens – Peterka
• Greenway – Krebs – Rousek
• Girgensons – Kozak – Okposo
• Jost

Defensemen

• Dahlin – Samuelsson
• Power – New RHD
• Stillman – Lyubushkin
• Jokiharju

Goaltenders

• Levi – Luukkonen

As for the extras, part of me wants to say Tyson Jost, but at the time of this writing, we are facing the deadline to extend qualifying offers. If he re-signs, I could also see Jost perhaps centering the fourth line at times, or perhaps even playing winger while Girgensons kicks inside to center. There is always the chance the Sabres can get a viable fourth line center from the Olofsson deal.

Update: The Buffalo Sabres did not extend a qualifying offer to Tyson Jost. However, he DID re-sign with the Blue and Gold on Day 1 of free agency. 

As you can see, I also went with Lukas Rousek over Jiri Kulich, feeling that the 24-year-old is more NHL-ready than the 19-year-old. While I feel Kulich could come in and perform well, we already have a sample size on Rousek, albeit a small one, and he gave us good returns in his two-game audition. Matt Savoie could also wind up as an extra, but only to set the stage for the “Shane Wright Route.”

Finally, you’ll see that I pulled Tyson Kozak up. This may sound like a stretch to some, but I would be absolutely fine centering him with a pair of wingers who have a combined two-and-a-half decades of NHL experience. However, it also wouldn’t surprise me if Adams wanted more experience on the line and opted for someone else, such as a potential piece in a hypothetical Olofsson trade, as I mentioned earlier.

As for the blue line, I’m still expecting either a trade to take place (one that could also involve Olofsson) for a viable top four defenseman. Or, and I’ve noted this before, too, the Buffalo Sabres could go out and sign an older, more established player as a stopgap at the position.