Ruotsalainen ready for NHL opportunity following assignment to taxi squad

Arttu Ruotsalainen signed his entry-level contract with the Sabres in May 2019, coming off a breakout year with Ilves of the Finnish Elite League that saw him score a team-high 21 goals in 42 games.
His focus ever since - through two training camps in Buffalo, parts of two more seasons in Finland and now 13 AHL games with the Rochester Americans - has been on rounding out his game for the NHL.
With a chance now potentially around the corner, the forward said he feels ready to make the leap.

"I have been waiting for this moment for a long time now," Ruotsalainen said after practicing with the Sabres Monday. "I think, like, I'm ready now and hopefully I get the chance. But even if I can't get the chance, whatever. I just try to work hard every day and earn my spot on the roster someday."
The Sabres reassigned Ruotsalainen from the Amerks to the taxi squad prior to practice, swapping him with fellow forward Jean-Sebastien Dea. Interim head coach Don Granato said he expects the lineup in New Jersey on Tuesday to stay the same as it was in Saturday's win over the New York Rangers but added that the team hopes to get a look at Ruotsalainen in the near future.
"He has earned it by his work ethic, his commitment," Granato said. "All of the intangibles. He's done a nice job down there (in Rochester) and consistently progressed."
A brief refresher on Ruotsalainen's path: He was undrafted before his breakout season in 2018-19, which earned him an NHL deal with Buffalo. He attended camp with the Sabres the following season before being sent back to Finland to round out his game, with an emphasis on winning battles and playing with pace. He upped his production to .97 points per game.
The numbers rose to astronomical levels at the start of this season in Finland, which saw him tally 16 goals and 27 points in 19 games before the league paused play due to the COVID-19 pandemic in December. Both totals led the league.
For context, former Rochester forward Justin Danforth led the Finnish Elite League with 27 goals in in 56 games in 2019-20. Ruotsalainen was on pace to score 50 goals over the full 60-game schedule.
Instead, the start of the North American season ended Ruotsalainen's campaign in Finland. He opened training camp with the Sabres before being reassigned to Rochester, where he leads the Amerks with 13 points in 13 contests . He has been a Swiss Army knife for coach Seth Appert, playing both center and the wing and appearing on the power play and the penalty kill.
"It's hard, you come over here and you obviously want to go right to the NHL," forward Steven Fogarty, who opened the season playing on Ruotsalainen's wing, said. "But it's a tough road and I think he handled it well going down there and just approaching every day as another day to earn an opportunity up here.
"You see the numbers he's been putting up and the consistency and the amount of ice time and different situations he's playing down there. I'm excited to see him up here and it was good to see him today."
Ruotsalainen said the transition to North American ice was a quick one. On top of his consistent offense, he feels his biggest growth has been in his defensive play.
"I felt pretty good at Rochester and I think I was doing well in training camp also," he said. "So, I think it's been a good year for me."

Cozens, Borgen to skate Monday

Dylan Cozens and Will Borgen took the ice for a rehab skate after the rest of the team concluded practice Monday, a step forward toward their respective returns from injuries. Granato said the team will have a better idea on their timelines based on their reactions to the skate.
Borgen has missed 23 games since sustaining a forearm injury while blocking a shot in New Jersey on Feb. 20. Cozens sustained an upper-body injury upon being checked into the boards against Philadelphia last Monday and has missed the past three games.
"If it goes well, I would say, Dylan maybe within the next week back to practice," Granato said. "And Borgs may be just a little bit longer than that. But again, we need a little more information."

Monday's practice

Kyle Okposo took a maintenance day but is expected to play in New Jersey on Tuesday, Granato said. Ruotsalainen filled in for him on a line with Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart.
Here's how the team lined up in full:
68 Victor Olofsson - 23 Sam Reinhart - 25 Arttu Ruotsalainen / 49 C.J. Smith
4 Taylor Hall - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 72 Tage Thompson
53 Jeff Skinner - 15 Riley Sheahan - 74 Rasmus Asplund
13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 17 Steven Fogarty
78 Jacob Bryson - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
33 Colin Miller - 62 Brandon Montour
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 10 Henri Jokiharju
44 Matt Irwin - 88 Brandon Davidson
35 Linus Ullmark
31 Dustin Tokarski
32 Michael Houser

Schedule change

UPDATE (5:02 p.m.) - The NHL announced Monday evening that Buffalo's home game against Boston on April 20 will begin at 6:30 p.m. Faceoff was originally scheduled for 7 p.m.