@boosbuzzsabres
It's hockey (pre)season, Sabreland. Summer's great if you love the outdoors, cookouts and warming up your bones from a long, dismal winter. And I love all those things, but the sports fan in me is left with very little during the summer months. There's baseball, which is great at the ballpark, soccer, tennis and golf and then there are three days in July when none of the big-four North American sports are on and we have to sit through the drudge that is the ESPY's.
Football has started and is great, even with the Bills bumbling out of the gate, but hockey is back.
The kid in me said summer was too short but the hockey fan in me says the wait was too long, especially with what has gone on since that dreadful 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres season ended. GM Jason Botterill has been making moves to fill holes on the roster with quality players and has added a ton of depth that allows for meaningful competition for open roster spots. He has wave of young players from previous drafts turning pro and has augmented the organization with free agent signees.
Oh, and there's that guy named
Rasmus Dahlin whom the Sabres selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Sabres development camp whetted our whistle for things to come as Dahlin wowed the fan base in attendance at HarborCenter and he continued that when 1,800+ fans were at that rink for the Prospects Challenge. The next phase of his drive to the NHL is the preseason.
The Buffalo Sabres are in Columbus, OH tonight to kick off the preseason against the Blue Jackets and since they're at home tomorrow night, Buffalo's brass is saving Dahlin's preseason debut for tomorrow night tilt against the Pittsburgh Penguins. As they should. Unlike the previous regime (head coach) that couldn't grasp the significance of
Jack Eichel being on the ice for the opening faceoff against Connor McDavid in their first ever head-to-head matchup, this regime knows what Dahlin means to the fans and will wait one game for his debut.
It took a while, but the Sabres finally released their roster for tonight:
Forwards
10 Patrick Berglund, 20 Scott Wilson, 22 Johan Larsson, 41 Victor Olofsson, 42 Sean Malone, 51 Kyle Criscuolo, 52 Andrew Oglevie, 64 Tyler Randell, 65 Danny O'Regan, 71 Evan Rodrigues, 72 Tage Thompson, 92 Alexander Nylander
Defensemen
5 Matt Tennyson, 8 Casey Nelson, 27 Taylor Fedun, 44 Brandon Hickey, 45 Brendan Guhle, 82 Nathan Beaulieu
Goalies
34 Jonas Johansson, 35 Linus Ullmark
Although both Eichel and Dahlin, along with Rasmus Ristolainen, Jeff Skinner and Conor Sheary, among others, won't be in Columbus tonight, there are a number of players who will get the opportunity to make a great first impression for the upcoming season:
Alexander Nylander--Needs to get off on the right foot and be engaged from the get-go. There's a top-six opening and if his desire could ever match his skill level, he'd probably be back in Buffalo waiting until tomorrow night.
Patrick Berglund--Acquired from the St. Louis Blues, Berglund will be expected to bring his two-way game to Buffalo this year and help transition this team from doormat to at least respectability. He'll be rusty when he hits the ice tonight, but should help guide the youngins.
Brandon Hickey--Another acquisition via trade. The former Calgary Flames pick was part of the Hudson Fasching to Arizona Coyotes deal and will be getting his first taste of pro action.
Johan Larsson--It's been said that Larsson came to camp a little leaner and with a whole lot of gumption. He's excellent in the defensive pest role but got away from it last season. Here's an opportunity for him to show he's back to his old self.
Brendan Guhle--Has the skill, skating and athleticism to make the Sabres this year despite the log-jam on defense. Getting off to a good start tonight will help him get closer to that goal.
Nathan Beaulieu--Last year wasn't the greatest for him. He has all the skills and the skating but had way too many brain cramps. Hopefully he won't have an egregious giveaway that leads to a goal or golden opportunity which he did so many times last season.
Tage Thompson--Had a great Prospects Challenge but needs to further that with a strong preseason. He's big, can move, has skills and was promised an opportunity in the top-six. The shot at that opportunity begins tonight.
Victor Olofsson--We saw his shot at the Prospects Challenge and it's wicked. That was on the powerplay, a spot where he scored a league-leading 27 goals in the SHL last season. Can he get that shot off 5v5?
Sean Malone--He progressed nicely in the AHL last season and is poised to take that next step. A role as a checking center is there and the West Seneca, NY native will be all-in. A good showing tonight could lead to an extended preseason run and possibly a spot on the roster.
Although this game is of little importance from a fan's perspective, it means a lot to those playing in it. Head coach Phil Housley has said that there's been a lot of competitive spunk at camp and we'll see who carries this into the preseason tonight beginning at 7pm.
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