The Buffalo Sabres are getting closer to the regular season and on Saturday made some significant cuts to their roster by sending 24 players down to Rochester. A majority of the roster has been pretty well set prior to training camp but there has been some notable performances that has given the coaching staff something to think about.
When looking at the first four preseason games, these are four players that have worked their way into the discussion of warranting a roster spot to begin the season.
Zac Jones/Ryan Johnson
If there is one spot that seems to be truly up for grabs, it is the seventh defenseman spot, which Jacob Bryson held last season. He will still be an option, but is being pushed by these two players.
Jones joined the Buffalo Sabres this summer after the New York Rangers didn't extend a qualifying offer and made him an unrestricted free agent. The Sabres signed him and in training camp he has impressed head coach Lindy Ruff, who described him as 'sneaky good.'
As for Ryan Johnson, he was a first-round pick in 2019 by the Buffalo Sabres and has spent some time in the NHL with 41 games in 2023-24, but only three this past season. He is coming off an excellent performance against the Red Wings on Saturday, when he was second on the team in Corsi For % at 55.81%.
Both players remained with the Sabres after Saturday's cuts and that is an indication that they are still competing for that spot with Jacob Bryson and the final two preseason games are going to be pivotal for all three players.
Mason Geertsen
The Buffalo Sabres wasted no time signing Mason Geertsen this summer as they agreed to a two-year deal on the first day of free agency. It was a move that would have been lost in the flurry of activity on July 1st, but this preseason it has been clear why the Sabres wasted no time signing him.
The Sabres have been without Jordan Greenway for all of training camp, and the hope is that he will be healthy and ready to go for the start of the regular season. However, if he isn't there, then Geertsen slots right in on that fourth line in the enforcer-type role for this team.
Geertsen has only appeared in 25 games in his NHL career and he hasn't played a game since the 2021-22 season. However, Ruff knows what he is getting with him as he was the head coach the last time he played in the NHL and it really won't be a surprise if he is on the Opening Night roster.
Noah Ostlund
Noah Ostlund almost certainly will be playing in at least one game for the Buffalo Sabres this season as he has had a productive preseason with a goal and an assist in two games. He was not one of the players sent down to Rochester on Saturday and that is an indication that he is at least on the bubble competing for a spot.
The Sabres may be keeping him with them due to Jiri Kulich's injury that he recently sustained and has kept him out of the past few games. If this is the case, it still shows the coaching staff believes he can contribute after appearing in eight games with the Sabres last season.
Whatever the reasoning, he is a player that could find his way onto the Opening Night roster for the Buffalo Sabres, especially if he finishes the preseason on a high note.