Breaking down the Buffalo Sabres first round of roster moves
The Buffalo Sabres made several roster moves on Friday, September 29th, 2023, loaning seven players to the Rochester Americans.
The Buffalo Sabres loaned seven players to the Rochester Americans today, and you can check out who is heading to the Flower City in the chart below. There were also over a dozen players released from their PTO, including Michael Houser, Zach Metsa, and Mason Jobst.
The Buffalo Sabres have announced the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/XqiB1aaZTM
— Sabres PR (@SabresPR) September 29, 2023
As you can see, there are no real surprises here, but there are intriguing names to watch for the Amerks this season. Tyson Kozak, Filip Cederqvist, and Linus Weissbach, for example, could make up a rugged trio on the lower-lines. All three may also be effective on the penalty kill, so if you’re tuning into Amerks hockey this year, keep an eye out for them.
Nikita Novikov also looked great during the Prospects Challenge and in the preseason, and he will definitely be worth keeping an eye on. Olivier Nadeau is brimming with potential, and Aleksandr Kisakov is entering his second season while Viktor Neuchev will get his first taste of regular season action in North America.
Many notable prospects are still on the Buffalo Sabres roster
As the chart shows, there are still more than a few prospects vying for a spot on the big club, including Zach Benson, Ryan Johnson, Brandon Biro, Isak Rosen, and Jiri Kulich. Again, there are no surprises here, as they have all shown enough flashes in their respective games to warrant an extended look.
In my previous post, I specifically singled out Biro, Benson, and Johnson, but these five all have a fighting chance to snag a roster spot. So what will it come down to? Honestly, it should be a blend of skill mixed with experience, which is why I’m not completely sold on Benson and Johnson playing in the NHL this season, but they nonetheless deserve more time in camp.
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Biro could be the one who inevitably makes it given his successful camp and preseason so far, and you also shouldn’t count out Lukas Rousek, who made an impact in his two games last year. Biro and Rousek are both older prospects with more muscle maturity than Rosen and Kulich, but at this point, it’s anyone’s game.