With the NHL in a roster freeze for the next few weeks, this is a perfect time for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and the Buffalo Sabres to evaluate the roster. They can identify areas of need or places to improve ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6th and the center position should be one of those areas.
Entering the season, the center position probably was one of the strongest on the roster with Josh Norris, Jiri Kulich, Ryan McLeod, and Peyton Krebs with players like Noah Ostlund in Rochester ready to make the jump.
Unfortunately, injuries have put serious strain on that depth with Jiri Kulich and Josh Norris missing a large portion of the season. Jiri Kulich has been limited to 12 games after he was diagnosed with a blood clot, and it remains to be seen when he can return. However, Lindy Ruff said at the end of January that he "certainly hopes" he will play again this season.
Meanwhile, Josh Norris has only played 19 games after two extended stints on injured reserve.
To manage these absences, the Sabres have moved Tage Thompson back to center and called up Noah Ostlund, who has played 45 games this season and has had some good moments but also been inconsistent as of late. In the past eight games, Ostlund has had only two points and a +/- of -3.
Josh Norris is the key to the position but the Buffalo Sabres can't trust he can stay healthy
The good news is that the Buffalo Sabres should be getting Josh Norris back after the break, and if there were a guarantee he could stay healthy, this might not be as pressing a need. Before his latest injury, Norris played in 18 games, and the offense was looking great as he had 17 points over that stretch.
However, in roughly one calendar year since the Sabres traded for him last season with the Ottawa Senators as part of the Dylan Cozens trade right before the trade deadline, Norris has played in only 22 games. The injury concerns are something that has haunted Norris for his entire NHL career, as he has played in 60 or fewer games in all but one season.
This is why Jarmo Kekalainen should be looking to add to the position to ensure that, come playoff time, this is not an issue. Even if the Sabres get both Norris and Kulich back and then trade for a center, it would still be a good move. It would give head coach Lindy Ruff more options when building the lines, as he could slide Thompson back to a wing or even Peyton Krebs, who has floated between both spots for most of the season.
The Buffalo Sabres need a Top 6 player and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen's focus should be adding a center as that is probably the most pressing need. It is something that gives the coaching staff the most options looking ahead, depending on who among the injured centers return over the next few weeks.