Kulich will get the chance to make his season debut in his home country of Czechia after it was announced Zach Benson would be out on Saturday vs. New Jersey. The 20-year-old centre is only making his second NHL appearance ever after making it into one game in 2023-24. He is expected to take Benson's spot in Buffalo's top-six.
Benson played 17:23 TOI in Buffalo's debut on Friday but is absent from the lineup for their second game on Saturday in Prague due to a lower-body injury. The Sabres' have yet to provide any updates on the severity of the issue of the flashy 19-year-old who appeared in 71 games in 2023-24 and picked up 11 goals and 30 points.
Levi split his 2023-24 season between the NHL and the AHL and will start 2024-25 as the Sabres' No.2 netminder behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. During his 23 NHL games last season, Levi was 10-8-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .899 SV%. Buffalo is coming off of a 4-1 loss to the Devils on Friday and are +127 underdogs.
Levi split his 2023-24 season between the NHL and the AHL and will start 2024-25 as the Sabres' No.2 netminder behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. During his 23 NHL games last season, Levi was 10-8-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .899 SV%. Buffalo is coming off of a 4-1 loss to the Devils on Friday and are +127 underdogs.
Aube-Kubel left Friday's season opener vs. New Jersey in the second period due to a left leg injury and is without an update but is expected to at least miss Saturday's game. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Sabres in the offseason and was making his Buffalo debut on Friday. More updates are expected to roll out in the upcoming days.
Luukkonen emerged as the Sabres' starting netminder in the 2023-24 season, surprisingly edging out Devon Levi, and will likely begin the 2024-25 campaign with an opportunity to reprise his role in the team's first game on Friday against the New Jersey Devils in Prague as part of the NHL Global Series. In his first full season, the 25-year-old netminder played 54 games (27-22-4), recording a solid 2.57 GAA and .910 SV%. Luukkonen will look to pick up where he left off but will be challenged in his first outing against an improved Devils squad that is oozing with offensive talent.
Luukkonen emerged as the Sabres' starting netminder in the 2023-24 season, surprisingly edging out Devon Levi, and will likely begin the 2024-25 campaign with an opportunity to reprise his role in the team's first game on Friday against the New Jersey Devils in Prague as part of the NHL Global Series. In his first full season, the 25-year-old netminder played 54 games (27-22-4), recording a solid 2.57 GAA and .910 SV%. Luukkonen will look to pick up where he left off but will be challenged in his first outing against an improved Devils squad that is oozing with offensive talent.
Dahlin left practice early on Wednesday with an undisclosed injury but luckily will only be forced to miss a couple of days of training camp after Lindy Ruff announced Thursday he was "doing well". The 24-year-old defenseman surpassed the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career in 2023-24 while also putting up 59 points, 235 SOG and 66 PIMs in 81 games played.
Just a few minutes into the Sabres' first skate of training camp, Dahlin left with what head coach Lindy Ruff described as a middle-body injury. Dahlin experienced discomfort on a routine pass and did not return after being evaluated by trainers. Ruff did not have an update on Dahlin after the skate.
Krebs will remain a Sabre after agreeing to a two-year, $2.9 million ($1,450,000 AAV) contract extension on Tuesday morning. The 23-year-old was Vegas' 2019 1st-round pick (17th overall) but has spent the last three seasons in Buffalo. In 2023-24, he unfortunately failed to take an expected step forward but still put up four goals, 17 points, 67 PIMs and 74 SOG in 80 games played.
Buffalo solified its goaltending for years to come after it signed Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to a five-year, $23.75 million contract extension ($4,750,000 AAV). The 25-year-old was drafted by Buffalo in the 2nd round of the 2017 NHL Draft (54th overall) and set career highs in wins (27), appearances (54) and GAA (2.57) in 2023-24 as Buffalo's starter.
Buffalo acquired Beck Malenstyn's rights on June 29th in a trade with Washington for a 2024 second-round pick and have signed the 26-year-old forward to a two-year, $2.7 million contract ($1,300,000 AAV). The left-winger is entering just his second full NHL season after playing in only 24 games in his first three years in the NHL before completing 81 games played in 2023-24. He set career highs last season in all statistical categories with six goals, 21 points, 25 PIMs and 98 SOG.
Helenius was selected with the No.14 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft after posting 36 points (14G / 22A) in 51 games with Jukurit Mikkeli (Liiga). He also represented Finland at the World Juniors, registering two points (1G / 1A) in seven games. Expect the 18-year-old to remain in Finland to start the 2024-25 season.
The Sabres and Jokiharju avoid arbitration by agreeing on a one-year deal worth $3.1 million. Jokiharju will be a UFA when the contract is up next July. The 25-year-old blueliner is coming off of the best offensive season of his career, posting a career-best 20 points (3G / 17A) in 74 games. Expect him to be the Sabres' No.4 or No.5 defenseman this year, depending on the status of Matias Samuelsson.
The Oilers selected Tullio in the fifth-round (No.126 overall) in 2020 and he spent the last two season in Bakersfield (AHL). During the 2023-24 season, the 22-year-old winger had nine goals and 12 assists (21 points) in 54 games. Look for him to start the 2024-25 season with Rochester (AHL).
McLeod settled in on the Oilers third line and penalty kill during the 2024 season. The 24-year-old centre had career-highs in goals (12), assists (18) and points (30) but became expendable this offseason when the Oilers signed Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown and Corey Perry. In Buffalo, he should serve as their No.3 centre and provide the Sabres with additional speed and penalty-killing prowess.
Reimer played with the Red Wings last year, going 11-8-2 with a 3.11 GAA and .904 SV% in 25 games (20 starts). The Sabres will be Reimer's sixth team in his 15-year career, and he allows the Sabres to send Devon Levi to the AHL if they choose, as Reimer would serve as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's backup. If Levi remains with the Sabres, Reimer could be in the mix for starts as the team's No.3 option.
After three down seasons in Philadelphia, Felix Sandstrom has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Buffalo as he attempts to resurrect his NHL career. The 27-year-old netminder has appeared in 30 games for the Flyers in the last three seasons and has a 4-18-4 record, 3.66 GAA and .880 SV%.
Buffalo helped improve Rochester (AHL) on Monday after signing Jack Rathbone to a one-year, two-way contract. The 25-year-old appeared in 69 games between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) and Abbotsford (AHL) in 2023-24 and had eight goals and 24 points.
