There is no question that the Buffalo Sabres hockey is quickly approaching with the first preseason game about a week away and the first game of the regular season less than a month away. The top question on everyone's mind is whether or not the Sabres will finally get back to the playoffs and end their 14-season playoff drought.
That question won't be answered until the middle of April and while fans are going to have to wait on that answer, these are five questions that could be answered in the next few weeks, or even days.
How concerning is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's injury?
The Buffalo Sabres recently added to the goalie position by signing Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year contract. At first glance, the move made sense to add some experience to the position, particularly for Rochester to back up Devon Levi.
However, Georgiev's role might be bigger than first thought, as it was reported after the signing that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is dealing with an injury described as a 'tweak'.
The severity of the injury is unknown, but the fact that the Sabres signed Georgiev to a one-year contract and not a PTO is an indication that they are going to need him sooner rather than later. Once practice starts up, fans will get a better understanding of just how severe the injury is and how much time UPL might miss.
Where are contract extensions talk currently with Alex Tuch?
As of right now, this could be Alex Tuch's final training camp with the Buffalo Sabres as one of their top forwards is entering the final year of his contract. He certainly should be a priority for the Sabres to try to sign long term and is a deal that hopefully gets done quickly.
However, the longer he goes without that extension just generates more anxiety for the fan base about the idea that Tuch might be leaving Western New York next summer. He has developed into the team's second best forward since joining Buffalo as part of the Jack Eichel trade with the Vegas Golden Knights.
There has been recent reports that nothing is close right now on an extension but hopefully that changes with all parties now back in Buffalo to work out a deal.
What does a full training camp look like for Lindy Ruff?
This is Lindy Ruff's second season with the Buffalo Sabres in his second run with the franchise. The hope was that Ruff could find some of that playoff magic last season, but they weren't realistically close down the stretch.
One of the reasons was how they started the season as they went 4-7-1 in their first 12 games, which included two games in Prague against the New Jersey Devils. In addition to starting the season in Europe, the Sabres had to cut their training camp short to accommodate the schedule.
This season is a different story as Lindy Ruff will have a full training camp and not have to worry as much about travel schedules and things like that. It will be interesting to see if this helps them get off to a better start.
How do the new additions fit into this Sabres lineup?
The Buffalo Sabres have a number of new players who are expected to play key roles in the lineup this upcoming season. The big move they made was trading JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan.
Kesselring is expected to pair with Owen Power for the Sabres second defensive pair but he isn't the only new player as they would also trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Connor Timmons during the NHL Draft. He should be on the final defensive pair, most likely with Mattias Samuelsson.
The Sabres didn't make a number of moves in free agency but have brought in the previously mentioned Georgiev as well as Alex Lyon to help the goalie position. They would also sign forward Justin Danforth as a free agent earlier this summer.
These are a lot of moving pieces for Ruff and his coaching staff to figure out where they fit best. However, that won't be the biggest lineup question the Sabres have to answer this training camp.
What does the top forward line look like for the Buffalo Sabres?
The departure of Peterka creates some uncertainty about the top forward line, and it feels like it's going to be an open competition with a number of different combinations the Sabres could use. There is no question that Tage Thompson will be one of the three players on that top line, but he could remain on the wing or move back to center, depending on who the other two players are that win those spots.
If Thompson moves to the center, then Alex Tuch is probably moving up, and this will create a ripple effect through the other potential forward lines. It is hard to imagine the Sabres want that and are hopeful someone can win that center position, with the competition most likely between Jiri Kulich and Josh Norris.
The final spot seems like it is going to belong to Zach Benson and he should be the favorite. However, he is not going to be handed that spot and could get pushed by Jason Zucker or even Josh Doan. This is something the Sabres are going to want to try to find an answer to early in training camp because if they don't it can have an impact across all the lines.