Okay, so here’s how this article is going to work: You will see some names in which you could actively make the case will be back for another round once the 2024-25 season concludes. But, we’re not talking about players who are entering their first season with the Sabres.
Therefore, forwards like Jason Zucker and Nicolas Aube-Kubel, both of whom signed one-year deals with the Blue and Gold, or Ryan McLeod, who has a year left on his contract, will not be counted. Players who recently re-signed with Buffalo can be, and you’ll find one of them listed below.
You’ll also cross a pair of players who were supposed to be major contributors for former head coach Don Granato, but that won’t be the case now since this is Lindy Ruff’s team, and they need to forge an identity that he values.
Jordan Greenway
Jordan Greenway hasn’t been terrible since he arrived in Buffalo, but he also hasn’t produced the results we’d like to see from a player who has yet to find a home among the team’s forwards. Every time you turn on a game, it seems like Greenway is playing on a different line, and while he’s a physical player who logged top-six minutes last season, he’s never been consistent when given the chance.
Last season, Greenway had 28 points and 10 goals in 67 games, and while he finished with a solid plus-11, he was also on the wrong side of the Corsi For Percentage with just a 47.9 at even strength, to go with an 89.6 on-ice save percentage.
While Greenway could fit the identity Kevyn Adams and Lindy Ruff want to bring in, his performances throughout his first 84 games with the Sabres speak dividends. It’s either time for a big turnaround, or he’ll be wearing a different uniform next season.
Connor Clifton
Youth is the way to go in the Sabres defensive rotation, and this organically stacks the cards against Connor Clifton. Bowen Byram and Henri Jokiharju both played better than Clifton last season, and there’s a better chance of the former getting an extension while the latter sticks around in a role as an extra or bottom-pairing asset.
That said, it’s also worth noting Clifton has been more durable than Byram and Jokiharju over the last two seasons, and as with Greenway, he also fits the team identity well. But Byram showed off his physical play, and Jokiharju has also become an edgier player throughout the last three seasons, so keeping them and moving on from Clifton makes sense.
Jacob Bryson
Bringing back Jacob Bryson still puzzles me because he’s basically been playing at a Kale Clague level for a while and yes, Clague is still with the organization. Not only has Clague occasionally outplayed Bryson over the last two seasons, we also can’t forget about Ryan Johnson and the impact he made last year.
Overall, there’s a nominal chance Jacob Bryson begins the season on the Sabres roster since it will be hard to keep him with the big club once Johnson outplays him. From there, it will be organizational depth before Bryson slips into the rather forgotten depths of Sabres history.