Hockey is back and has not participated in professional competitions, but is for training camp. After three months of rest, players will eventually make their first hockey entry as the team and management hope to finish their roster in the upcoming season. This week, the team will unveil its training camp roster, which includes around 60 players, which will narrow down to 23 this season.
Related: The biggest storyline of the Saber enters the training camp
On September 16, Buffalo Sabres released a list of players who will attend the camp in the next two weeks. The 61-man lineup consists of 32 forwards, 21 defensive players and eight goalkeepers, all competing for a spot in the 23-man lineup announced after training camp. The defense may have had a blueprint of the building and formed a core familiarity and new face, but the offense still had to figure out its structure, its stars faced changes in position and damage, plus contract dialogue is also on the horizon. In the crease, goalkeeper’s tandem was still in the air after management revealed that UKKO-PEKKA LUUKKONEN disappeared due to injury, and their response was to add Alexandar Georgiev to the one-year insurance agreement.
Clear defense
In all three units of the sword, it seems that its composition has been discovered very early. After a terrible season on the Blue Line, 287 goals were allowed, the third-place tie in the league, the organization made some changes to rebuild this unit. Buffalo revitalized the Department of Defense structure by taking over Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins through the industry and brought back two-year restricted free agent Bowen Byram, which looked powerful on paper.
Byram is Rasmus Dahlin’s clear partner among the top couples, as the two proved their 1-2 combination works for the saber’s blue line. No one can beat the opponent when on the ice, and Buffalo surpassed the opponent by 35-15. Additionally, according to Natural Stat Trick, the duo stifled 54% of shooting attempts, 57% of shooting percentage and 52% of advanced scoring opportunities.
Saber General Manager (GM) Kevin Adams has hinted that the team is looking for partners for left-back Owen Power to fit his schedule. “It would be great to get an All-Star right-handed defender over the next few years,” he said. “Look, Kesselring matches the burns on the blue line and matches the burns with an ambitious figure. Last season, he ranked second among Utah Hockey Club defenders with 87 strokes. His body on the board will benefit Power’s offensive end. Additionally, his deadly two-way game will translate well into his second pair of duties as he scored 29 points (7 goals and 22 assists) last season.
The simple and precise defensive style of Timins attracted the management’s deal. Adams confirmed the statement in an interview, noting: “We feel like Timmins makes our team better, and in terms of how he plays it, it might be just a little cleanliness – the way the hockey touches and the way he plays the game.” Timmins, on average, frees up more ice time for the Pittsburgh Penguins, which is a success than he has a deeper defense for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Buffalo hopes he can do for them this season, his fit in a bigger role.
Thompson returns to the center. Contract talks and injuries
The most significant change in Saber’s offense will allow this training camp to move the replacement captain Tage Thompson to his original center position. The two-time 40-goal scorer saw most of his success in the center. After fighting injuries last season, the necessity of last season was to save him from his defensive duties. This change opens a door to the composition of this new appearance offensive.
One of these possibilities is to promote Alex Tuch to Thompson tie. Much of the conversation around training camp also focuses on his contract extension when he will become an unrestricted free agent next summer, although Adams’ comments have lowered tensions in the room. He commented in his speech to the media: “The good news is that he said it was exactly the same here. He wanted to be here. He knew very well for me and us.”
Tuch is currently dealing with undisclosed injuries and will return in the next few days. “It was just a small thing before camp and I think we just wanted to make sure I didn’t jump back too early. Should be skating with the team for the next few days. It’s really good to make progress and I don’t care about anything.”
On the left side of the first line, Zach Benson will compete with Jason Zucker for the starting position. Although Benson has had modest work throughout his two-year career, he is expected to play in the top six roles this season, so he is expected to improve his work. Meanwhile, Jordan Greenway underwent surgery in July as part of his recovery from injury, and he played in just 34 games last season. According to Adams, he will practice at the beginning of the regular season.
Catch the crease
Luukkonen started to drop from last season’s 2023-24 players. Finnish networkers ended with a goal average of 3.20 goals (GAA) and a percentage saving of .887 (SV%). Despite his struggles, coach Lindy Ruff defended his starter, saying: “I believe in the UPL. It will be hard for any goalkeeper until I let the team clean up some poor hockey games.” The silver lining for this situation is that the 26-year-old has proven to be able to hold the creases. In 2023-24 In the season, he recorded 2.57 GAA and 0.910 SV%. If Luukkonen returns to his form, there is a lot to say about the decision to manage the decision to secure him for a long-term deal. Currently, he will miss the start of training camp due to a low body injury, which he did during his offseason training.
Due to Luukkonen’s injury, management decided to add Georgiev to goalkeeper rotation with a one-year contract. Alex Lyon appears to be the backup for Luukkonen, and Devon Levi may be looking at the promotion for his outstanding American Hockey League (AHL) last season. This raises a question about Georgiev’s position on the team, and Adams suggests that the move is to “provide internal competition.”
The start of the new season is coming, with the Saber once again entering the ice in training camp. New and familiar faces will fix the blue line, while the offense is for a remodel as the franchise cornerstone hopes to return to his original position. Meanwhile, the movements in the crease will unfold with additions and calls seeking to leave a mark.
