With Zemgus Girgensons returning to the Buffalo Sabres lineup, there had to be an odd man out. Two names came to the forefront: Eric Comrie and Tyson Jost, and as we learned yesterday, it was Jost going on waivers.
So what prompted general manager Kevyn Adams to remove him from the big club? After all, Jost came to Buffalo last year and served as a decent role player. He wasn’t much of a scorer, nor did he stand out in any one area, but he was someone they rotated in on the penalty kill and he was valuable in helping the team maintain puck possession.
The issue was that Jost was never consistent, and he never held the same level of play throughout the previous season. That trend continued into 2023-24, and as a result, we’re seeing him waived in favor of the returning Girgensons.
Buffalo Sabres waiving Tyson Jost didn’t make a ton of sense, however
It’s understandable that Jost was the odd man out among forwards, but placing him on waivers didn’t make as much sense since Eric Comrie was still on the roster. Comrie is the player who I would have waived first, and left it at that.
It’s no secret that Comrie has been one of the worst goaltenders in hockey this season, despite enjoying a strong training camp and preseason. He’s allowed 23 goals on 168 shots, giving him an 0.863 save percentage and a 4.01 GAA in seven starts.
As a result, Comrie has found himself sitting in the press box on most nights. While at worst, Jost was a part-time healthy scratch, but the forward still found himself playing in 29 games for the Buffalo Sabres this season.
Yeah, Jost was the most expendable forward at the moment, and he would likely have seen himself placed on waivers once Tage Thompson returns from a personal matter. But at this point, it was premature to waive Jost, even if the logic is somewhat understandable.
Source: Sabres' decision to waive Tyson Jost raises more questions about roster-building strategy by Lance Lysowski, Buffalo News
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)