The Buffalo Sabres had their first practice of training camp on Thursday and it gave fans a glimpse at what Lindy Ruff is thinking for this blue line entering the season. While the next few weeks can change what the pairs look like, the initial pairs are what fans were expecting.
According to Rachel Lenzi with The Buffalo News, these were the pairs used in drills at practice.
The #Sabres defensive pairs in drills that you all have been waiting for …
— Rachel Lenzi 💁🏻♀️😎💥 (@rachelmlenzi) September 18, 2025
Dahlin-Byram
Kesselring-Power
Samuelsson-Timmins
ZJones-Bryson
The top pair was Rasmus Dahlin and Bowen Byram, who have the most experience playing alongside each other. Last season, they led the way for the Sabres' defensive pairs with over 625 minutes and was almost more than double that of any other pairing Buffalo used.
After this top pair, the defense is going to look different with the moves they made and it starts with the addition of Michael Kesselring. He joined the Sabres as part of the return in the JJ Peterka trade and will play alongside Owen Power.
During the first press conference before training camp, Ruff mentioned that Kesselring could help Power take that next step in his career. It looks like they are planning to move forward with that to see if it becomes a reality.
The third pair in practice is Mattias Samuelsson and Connor Timmins, who the Sabres traded for during the NHL Draft. Last season, Samuelsson split time between being paired with Dahlin and Connor Clifton, who was traded to the Penguins in the Timmins trade.
The last pair is Zac Jones and Jacob Bryson, who are more than likely competing for the final spot on the Sabres roster for defensemen. Bryson has played in at least 35 games for Buffalo each of the past four seasons and should be the favorite.
Buffalo Sabres are focused on being better defensively this season
One of the points of emphasis for the Buffalo Sabres this season will be to improve in the defensive zone, which Lindy Ruff highlighted before training camp began. They were one of the higher-scoring teams in the league, but also one of the worst in goals allowed.
On paper, and what the Sabres had on ice in their practice, should make this a better defensive group than what they had a season ago. It will be interesting to see if that is a reality early in the season and if not, how long before Ruff decides to make some changes.