Buffalo Sabres News

The first overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Power is coming off an impressive rookie season. The 20-year-old registered four goals and 31 assists in 79 games despite receiving limited power-play minutes, and was a reliable defender in his own end. The lack of power-play time may not improve so long as Rasmus Dahlin is still in town, but Power nevertheless seems poised for a breakout year in 2023-24.

Georgiev led the NHL in wins with his 40-16-6 record, .918 SV% and 2.53 GAA in 2022-23 and will be Colorado's starting goaltender vs. Los Angeles for their season opener Wednesday. The 27-year-old is entering his second season in Colorado after signing a three-year, $10.2 million contract prior to last season. He takes on Los Angeles on the road, who finished 2022-23 11th in the NHL in both shots per game (32.4) and goals for (274).

Norris' status isn't any more clear after suffering a setback in relation to his ongoing shoulder injury. He is not expected to play in the Senators' season opener, but outside of that his timeline remains completely up in the air. After only being able to play in eight games last season, Norris was hopeful to start the season in his familiar role as the second-line center on a much-improved Ottawa team. He has 93 points (54G / 39A) in 133 career games with the Senators.

Danforth suited up in six games for the Blue Jackets last season, recording three points (2G / 1A). He is projected to start the 2023-24 season on the third line, playing alongside Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli. The undrafted 30-year-old winger has played 51 games in his NHL career, all with Columbus.

McLeod has missed time throughout training camp but is expected to play Wednesday vs. the Canucks. McLeod, who had 11 goals and 12 assists (23 points) in 57 games a season ago, should serve as Edmonton's third line centre with Warren Foegele and Dylan Holloway on his wings.

Buffalo has locked up one of the league's premiere defensemen with a huge eight-year contract extension. The first overall pick from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft had a breakout season last year, scoring 73 points (15G / 58A) in 78 games. Look for Dahlin to build on those totals as the star defenseman is, once again, expected to compete for the Norris Trophy.

After being limited to only eight games last season because of his shoulder, Norris' availability for the upcoming season remains up in the air after suffering a setback last week. Any absence for Norris poses major concerns for Ottawa as it leaves a huge void in their second-line center position. Expect Ridley Greig, who recorded nine points (2G / 7A) as a rookie with the Senators last season, to take on a bigger role for the duration of Norris' injury.

“Little bit of — I don’t know if it was a setback — but we’re hopeful he plays on Saturday,” head coach D.J. Smith said when asked about Norris’ surprising absence from the practice on Wednesday. Norris will not play Thursday and is questionable for Saturday's pre-season finale. This leaves his status for the regular season opener in question, a huge issue for the Senators, who haven't re-signed RFA Shane Pinto yet. This could leave them without two of their top-3 centres to start the year.

Timmins was enjoying an incredible preseason with the Maple Leafs after leading all scorers thus far with two goals and four assists in three games but will now be forced to miss a significant amount of time as he is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. It is a tough loss for the 25-year-old as he was battling for one of Toronto's final roster spots after two goals, 14 points and 19 SOG in 27 games with Arizona and Toronto in 2022-23.

Quinn's original timetable was 4-to-6 months, but the latest update suggests that he'll be be back at the tail-end of that timeline. Quinn had a solid rookie season, scoring 14 goals with 23 assists (37 points) in 75 games. He figures to be a key figure in the Sabres' middle-6 once he returns to the lineup.

Pearson had one goal, four assists, 17 SOG, 21 PIMs and a -9 plus/minus through 14 games with Vancouver in 2022-23 and has been traded to Montreal alongside a 2025 third-round pick for Casey DeSmith. The 31-year-old left-winger carries a cap hit of $3,250,000 into the 2023-24 season and has 133 goals and 272 points across 590 career games for three different organizations (LAK, PIT, VAN).

Norris suffered a shoulder injury last October and attempted to return to the lineup in January, but that only last three games before re-injuring his shoulder. Norris underwent surgery in late January and says he "feels good" and has been on the ice "a ton" and "training normally" this summer. Norris also said he should be ready to play in the preseason, and his goal is to be ready for opening night. Norris has missed 90 games over the last two seasons but recorded 37 goals and 21 assists (58 points) across 74 games, making him a strong mid-to-late round fantasy selection heading into 2023-24.

Stanley had a goal, two assists, 11 SOG, 21 PIMs, and a -1 plus/minus through 19 games played with Winnipeg in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, $1 million contract extension with the Jets. The 25-year-old defenseman was Winnipeg's 2016 1st round pick (18th overall) and has three goals, 20 points, 91 PIMs, and a +13 plus/minus through three NHL seasons and 114 career games.

McLeod had 11 goals, 12 assists, 78 SOG, 18 PIMs and a +4 plus/minus through 57 games played with Edmonton in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year, $4.2 million contract extension ($2,100,000 AAV) with the Oilers. The 23-year-old has 20 goals, 45 points and two SHG across his 138 games NHL career after being drafted in the second-round of the 2018 Draft (40th overall) by Edmonton.

Benson was Buffalo's 2023 1st-round pick (13th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract Friday. The 18-year-old forward had 36 goals, 62 assists, 49 PIMs and a +68 plus/minus through 60 games with Winnipeg (WHL) in 2022-23. He is expected to return to Wenatchee (WHL) for the 2023-24 season.

Geertsen had four goals, four assists, 136 PIMs and a -8 plus/minus through 61 games with Utica (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year, two-way contract extension worth $1.55 Million ($775,000 AAV). The 28-year-old defenseman has played in 25 career NHL games, failing to pick up a point but picking up 77 PIMs and a -6 plus/minus.

Bayreuther had two goals, 12 assists, 61 SOG, 23 PIMs and a -18 plus/minus through 51 games played with Columbus in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, one-year contract worth $775,000 with Dallas. The 29-year-old defenseman will join his second NHL team and brings five goals, 28 points and a -17 plus/minus across 122 games played to the Stars back end.

Byram had 10 goals, 14 assists, 65 SOG, 38 PIMs and a +7 plus/minus across an injury riddled 42 games played in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $7.7 million ($3.85M AAV) with Colorado. The 22-year-old was the Avalanche's 2019 1st round pick (4th overall) and has 15 goals, 43 points and a +15 plus/minus through 91 games across three shortened seasons.

Lyon was one of the best stories of the 2022-23 season as his late season heroics helped will Florida into one of the final playoff positions and has signed a two-year, $900,000 contract with the Detroit Red Wings. The 30-year-old travelling netminder had his most successful season to date in 2022-23, going 9-4-2 with a .914 SV% and 2.89 GAA.

Zucker has been with the Penguins for the last three seasons since being dealt from Minnesota win 2020. Injuries plagued him in his first two seasons with Pittsburgh, but he missed just four games last year, scoring 27 goals with 21 assists (48 points) in 78 games. With the Coyotes, Zucker will provide some much-needed offensive punch to their top-6 and looks primed to be traded to a contender at the 2024 Trade Deadline.