Overflow of defensemen is a good problem for the Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres had a struggling defensive rotation in 2022-23, but general manager Kevyn Adams more than remedied the situation. 

With so many defensemen in the system who have or will suit up for the Buffalo Sabres, general manager Kevyn Adams, head coach Don Granato, and their respective staffs will have a lot of decisions to make going forward. As it stands, Buffalo has 11 defensemen who will either play for the team this season, or played in at least one game for the Sabres in 2022-23, but only seven or eight will make the opening night lineup.

Using process of elimination, it’s safe to say Kale Clague and Jeremy Davies will be playing in Rochester and leading a rotation that will include Nikita Novikov and Ryan Johnson. That leaves nine potential contenders for opening night, but we can project that five of those players, barring injury, will be there:

• Mattias Samuelsson
• Rasmus Dahlin
• Owen Power
• Connor Clifton
• Erik Johnson

That leaves Ilya Lyubushkin, Riley Stillman, Henri Jokiharju, and Jacob Bryson to battle it out for the sixth, seventh, and potentially the eighth spot. And as you can see, none of the aforementioned names were overtly impressive in 2022-23. But that’s exactly why it’s a good thing to have such a logjam at the position this season.

Buffalo Sabres have a good problem in the defensive rotation

We don’t know what will happen to the above players, since there is always a chance Kevyn Adams can move any one of them before training camp begins in September. But let’s assume for a second that he doesn’t.

This will inject much-needed competition into the last two or three spots of the Buffalo Sabres blue line. And as a byproduct, you should see a heightened sense of urgency from Lyubushkin, Stillman, Jokiharju, and Bryson.

This high level of urgency also shouldn’t wear off just because someone’s winning the job, either. Remember, Lyubushkin, Stillman, Jokiharju, and Bryson will all see their respective contracts expire following the season, per Cap Friendly. Not only will these guys need to go all out in the preseason, assuming they are still in town, but if they want to stick around the Queen City and be part of one of the NHL’s fastest rising teams, then they need to keep their game elevated.

Overall, you couldn’t have asked for a better situation following the Johnson and Clifton signings. Sure, a couple of players, at the absolute least, are getting bumped out of the opening night roster. But those who inevitably make it to opening night will have done so thanks to a heightened sense of urgency, one that shouldn’t extinguish any time soon.

Source: Sabres face dilemma with surplus of defensemen by Andy Paden, WGRZ.com