3 Rochester Amerks the Buffalo Sabres should bring up next season
With the Buffalo Sabres expected to lose up to four players to free agency before 2024-25, the team has some holes to fill. While the blue and gold can replace some of these departing athletes through new free agent signings, the Sabres might also address their roster needs by shifting players from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, to Buffalo.
Here are three Amerks the Sabres could bring up to the NHL next season.
Jiri Kulich, C
The Czech forward had a solid season in Rochester, enjoying a 27-18-45 record in 57 games. Kulich thought he’d be playing with the Sabres this past year, but the team’s managers felt he wasn’t ready and assigned him to the AHL. The center proved he has scoring ability, racking up an impressive 45 points.
He didn’t do so well in the postseason, not getting a goal in the Amerks’ playoff series loss to the Syracuse Crunch. However, his overall numbers are excellent and as some observers have pointed out, Sabres winger Jack Quinn suffered a similar setback in the 2022, with no goals and just two assists for Rochester in that year’s playoff run.
Center Tyson Jost is one of the Sabres’ UFAs that could leave before next season starts. Jost, with only 10 goals for Buffalo over the past two years, is a forward Kulich might step in and replace. The Sabres could keep Kulich in Rochester, because he's not an RFA until 2027. However, Jost exiting Buffalo is the opportunity for Kulich to prove himself in the NHL and his stats point to his readiness.
Lukas Rousek, C
Fellow Czech Lukas Rousek also had a decent year with the Amerks, getting 10 goals, 31 assists and 41 points in 51 contests. Rousek, like Kulich, didn’t score any playoff goals this season but did manage to register six assists. The Amerks forward appeared in 17 games for the Sabres over the past two years, with a 1-1-2 and 0-2-2 record, respectively.
Sabres GM Kevyn Adams felt Rousek, as with Kulich, needed more AHL experience. Rousek hasn’t been the Amerks top scorer but has shown some skill on the ice. Buffalo left winger Victor Olofsson will likely leave the Sabres and sign a free agency deal with another team. If Olofsson is gone next season, Rousek could fill his position.
Lukas will become an RFA at the end of 2024-25, so if the Sabres want to keep him, they should give him a second NHL chance.
Brandon Biro, LW
Rochester left winger Brandon Biro is another forward who’s played for the Sabres but spent most of his hockey career so far in the AHL. Biro’s season stats for 2023-24 were 16-27-43 in 59 matchups. He also performed reasonably well in the playoffs, netting two goals and two assists in five postseason contests.
Biro is getting a little older for a hockey player at 26, but still has some good years left and could be an athlete that’s ready to fill somebody else’s departing UFA shoes. One of the biggest problems the Sabres had the past few seasons was being overloaded on young, energetic but inexperienced talent, with a shortage of veteran players. Biro probably learned a thing or two in his past six years on the ice and could be a seasoned forward the team needs.
Since three of the soon to leave UFAs are left wingers, Biro’s available to step in and take one of their places on the Sabres third or fourth line. Shoring up the bottom two lines should also be a priority. After all, top scoring teams can throw line after line after opposing defenses and goalies. Biro may not be the automatic solution to this offensive gap, but he’s worth a third go around.
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