Buffalo Sabres: 3 surprises from network’s lineup projection for 2023

There are plenty of routes the Buffalo Sabres can go in 2023 regarding their lineup, and one major outlet has made its prediction. 

There may not be much going on in the NHL these days as the major offseason transactions have, for the most part, come and gone. But, this time of the year will also run rampant with predictions, and for the Buffalo Sabres, like the 31 other teams, projecting the lineup is front and center.

With Jack Quinn gone for a few months, you may see more emphasis on the Blue and Gold from around the league. And Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic made a rather unsurprising prediction when they pegged in Casey Mittelstadt as Quinn’s replacement.

There was also no surprise when Fairburn listed Connor Clifton as the man lining up alongside Owen Power, along with the Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen combo at goaltender. But there were also a few major surprises and we will cover them below. Keep reading to explore my take on three of Fairburn’s predictions that I didn’t see coming.

3 surprises from The Athletic’s lineup projection for the 2023 Buffalo Sabres

1 – Henri Jokiharju finds a spot on the third pairing

While I’m sure the majority will predict this, I still find it surprising for Jokiharju to open the season on the third pairing alongside Erik Johnson as opposed to Ilya Lyubushkin or even Riley Stillman. The Buffalo Sabres are in dire need of edginess, and it’s a trait Jokiharju has hardly displayed.

And while they didn’t give up much, we need to remember that Buffalo traded for Stillman last season, so they see obvious value here. Overall, I can see this one becoming one of the more heated battles when camp rolls around, but I’m still giving Stillman and Lyubushkin the edge over Jokiharju at this time.

2 – Peyton Krebs moving to the third line

While I don’t quite agree with the other two surprises, Peyton Krebs moving to the third line is something I also projected, but I thought I was alone regarding this one. Thanks to the chemistry Krebs built with Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons, I was unsure whether anyone else would find it logical for head coach Don Granato to shift Krebs out of the fourth line center.

Fairburn also had Tyson Jost stepping in to fill Krebs’ spot, which is another logical move, though they did speculate that Jost could kick outside to winger while Zemgus Girgensons takes over the spot at center. Regardless of who ends up playing where, I’m convinced we will see Krebs open the season on the third line.

3 – Lukas Rousek makes the roster as an extra

Sure, I can see the logic in Victor Olofsson opening the season as the right winger on the third line if he’s still wearing a Buffalo Sabres uniform in October. However, I don’t see the Sabres calling up Lukas Rousek only for him to rotate in and out as an extra.

Rousek already showed us what he can be capable of in the NHL, albeit his limited, two-game sample size. However, if and when he builds on it during training camp and the preseason, I can see Rousek supplanting Olofsson while the latter spends more time in the press box.

Source: Sabres roster projection: What does the depth chart look like after free agency? by Matthew Fairburn, TheAthletic.com