Anderson, Dell to get 'first opportunity' in goalie competition

Don Granato offered insight into the Buffalo Sabres' goalie competition after the team held its intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday, giving the early edge to veteran newcomers Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell on merit of experience.
"If it started tomorrow, those two guys would be one and two," Granato said.
The Sabres signed Anderson and Dell on the opening night of free agency to replace the departed tandem of Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton. They joined an organizational depth chart that includes Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Dustin Tokarski, both of whom played games for Buffalo last season.

Anderson, 40, joins Buffalo for his 19th NHL season. His 652 regular-season games rank fourth among active netminders.
Dell, 31, went undrafted and climbed the ladder in various pro leagues before making his debut with San Jose in 2016. He played four years with the Sharks prior to last season, which he split between Toronto and New Jersey.
"They've got, really, the first opportunity," Granato said. "They've got the better track record at this level. So, we'll be watching those guys, I guess, because they should play. Their resume says they're the guys who can handle this."

Both goaltenders enter training camp with plenty to prove. Anderson settled into a new role with Washington last season after 10 years in Ottawa, serving as a veteran third option behind the Capitals' young tandem of Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek. He posted a .915 save percentage in four regular-season appearances and a .929 mark during two playoff outings.
Dell posted a .908 save percentage during his four seasons in San Jose prior to signing with Toronto last offseason, though he never did appear in a game for the Maple Leafs. By the time he started his seven-game stint with the Devils - who claimed him off waivers in February - it had been nearly a full year since his last outing.
"It was tough to get to get into a groove at all," he said.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams made it clear that the organization is willing to be patient with the 22-year-old Luukkonen, who had a four-game stint with the NHL club to end last season. Though the opportunity exists for Luukkonen to earn a roster spot over the next two weeks, his performance will need to indicate that he is ready.
Anderson and Dell have both expressed willingness to serve as veteran mentors, both for Luukkonen and the other young players who project to comprise the bulk of this year's roster. In the meantime, they will seek to earn their own share of the crease. Both goalies posted shutout periods during the intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday.
"I think it's gone pretty well so far," Dell said. "Everyone's played pretty well so far in the scrimmage and in practice and stuff like that. I'm just going to do my work and I'm excited to see where it goes."

Hagg's fresh start

Robert Hagg joked when asked to describe his playing style after practice on Monday.
"Power-play quarterback, putting up a lot of points," he deadpanned. "No, not really. Strong defensively. That's what I want to be. Hard to play against. Physical. Makes simple passes out of the D zone and follow up. But I would say the defensive side is probably my strongest game."
Still, the 26-year-old defenseman believes he has untapped offensive upside that he hopes to develop this season. Hagg said he was excited to learn about the July trade from Philadelphia, with whom he spent his first four NHL seasons. Granato and general manager Kevyn Adams both reached out to discuss their plan for the season.
"They said they really wanted me here," Hagg said. "I found a lot of energy, came in here early to get to know everybody and I'm really excited to get this going. It's a fresh start for me with new coaches, new teammates."

Hagg earned a reputation as a physical defenseman during his tenure in Philadelphia. He ranks sixth among NHL defensemen in hits since his first full season of 2017-18, with 732. He hopes being evaluated by a new set of eyes will lead for an opportunity to do more with the puck on his stick.
"I want to help the team out more offensively, not only defensively," Hagg said. "But at the same time, I know my role. I know what type of player I am and I'm not going to try and be someone else."

Monday's practice sessions

The Sabres trimmed their camp roster to 55 players, returning 2021 draft picks Josh Bloom, Viljami Marjala, and Olivier Nadeau to their junior clubs. They once again split into two practice groups:
Gold Group
53 Jeff Skinner - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 71 Victor Olofsson
91 Drake Caggiula - 74 Rasmus Asplund - 72 Tage Thompson
42 Brendan Warren - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo
73 Matej Pekar - 43 Sean Malone - 36 Ryan Scarfo / 51 Dominic Franco
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 10 Henri Jokiharju
8 Robert Hagg - 33 Colin Miller
75 Josh Teves - 13 Mark Pysyk
56 Matthew Cairns - 38 Nick Boka
41 Craig Anderson
1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
32 Michael Houser
Blue Group
77 JJ Peterka - 24 Dylan Cozens - 22 Jack Quinn
96 Anders Bjork - 28 Zemgus Girgensons - 29 Vinnie Hinostroza
57 Brett Murray - 25 Arttu Ruotsalainen - 15 John Hayden
65 Linus Weissbach - 49 Ryan MacInnis - 27 Michael Mersch
78 Jacob Bryson - 64 Oskari Laaksonen
4 Will Butcher - 6 Ethan Prow
67 Peter Tischke - Mitch Eliot
80 Aaron Dell
41 Dustin Tokarski
Buffalo opens its preseason exhibition schedule at Columbus on Tuesday, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.