Previewing the Sabres’ 23-man roster for the 2025-26 season

Following practice on Monday, the Buffalo Sabres officially announced their first 23-man roster of the 2025-26 season.

The Sabres cut their training camp roster down to 27 after sending defensemen Radim Mrtka, Vsevolod Komarov and Zach Metsa and forwards Noah Ostlund and Josh Dunne to Rochester (AHL) this weekend. On Monday, a waiver claim and five injured-reserve designations trimmed the roster to 23.

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Coach Lindy Ruff ruled out defenseman Michael Kesselring, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and forward Jordan Greenway for opening night. Defenseman Owen Power was placed on injured reserve, too, but he could return as soon as Thursday – players on IR are eligible to return on the eighth day following the date of their injury, and Power has been sidelined since early last week.

Amid that list of injuries, here's a look at the 23 healthy players the Sabres will carry to open the season.

• Injuries and Transactions | Updates on Luukkonen, Power, Kesselring, Benson, others

Forwards (14)

Zach Benson, Justin Danforth, Josh Doan, Mason Geertsen, Tyson Kozak, Peyton Krebs, Jiri Kulich, Beck Malenstyn, Ryan McLeod, Josh Norris, Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker

Zach Benson returned to practice on Monday for the first time since Oct. 1 after dealing with an undisclosed injury. He was back on the top line with Tage Thompson and Josh Norris, both of whom tied for the NHL preseason lead with seven points in four games.

Norris – who played in just three games with the Sabres last season after being traded to Buffalo on March 7 – is primed to have a significant season after having a full offseason to train. Ruff said Norris has approached the season with “the mindset that he was going to be our best centerman.”

Jason Zucker, Jiri Kulich and Alex Tuch skated together for practice on Monday. Kulich – who was sidelined for some of training camp due to what Ruff called a “tweaked muscle” – shined in the preseason finale against Pittsburgh with a pair of goals.

Jack Quinn and Josh Doan continued their consistent pairing on the wings together with Ryan McLeod up the middle during Monday’s practice. Quinn finished with a career-high 39 points in 74 games a season ago and scored 14 of his 15 goals from Dec. 15 to the end of the season.

Ruff said Doan – who was acquired alongside Michael Kesselring from Utah on June. 26 – has brought a positive energy to the locker room, which pairs well with his untapped skill and tenacity on the forecheck.

"He's just a good guy to be around," Ruff said. "He's a guy that doesn't take any time off in practice. Really feels that whatever drill he's doing, that drill is going to make him better. He works at it, whether we're doing line rush coverage or D zone. You can see that he's locked in. He's got a smile on his face. ... He's infectious."

Beck Malenstyn, Peyton Krebs and Justin Danforth comprised the fourth line Monday, with Tyson Kozak and Mason Geertsen rotating in. Krebs was notably dynamic with a pair of assists in the Sabres’ penultimate preseason game last Wednesday.

Each of those five forwards brings a 200-foot game and a level of physicality that Ruff is seeking. Danforth embodies that style of play, and Ruff was complimentary of the first-year Sabre.

"If you look at Danforth, he's a guy that’s had success offensively,” Ruff said. “The Finnish League, the KHL. He does everything right. We're using him in important faceoffs, penalty killing, power play. I think he is a guy that we can use in a lot of different places. If somebody isn't going real well, you can easily move him up the lineup, and you almost know from shift to shift what you're going to get. He's a well-trained athlete. He's strong. There's not many guys stronger on the puck than he is, and I think he's a guy that's going to fit in really well."

Defensemen (6)

Jacob Bryson, Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Ryan Johnson, Mattias Samuelsson, Conor Timmins

Kesselring, beginning the season on injured reserve after aggravating a nagging injury, will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. He exited the Sabres’ preseason game Oct. 1 and didn’t practice Monday.

Power – who has been out since Sept. 30 with his undisclosed injury – skated with Greenway prior to Monday's practice.

Mattias Samuelsson returned to practice wearing a non-contact jersey after being out since Sept. 26 due to an upper-body injury. Ruff was optimistic that Samuelsson, who’s not on injured reserve, could be available against the Rangers.

“He got through well,” Ruff said. “I thought he looked good. Feels good. Should be definitely a possibility for Thursday.”

Rasmus Dahlin was paired with Conor Timmins, and Samuelsson was set with Bowen Byram at practice. Ryan Johnson, the 2019 first-round pick who played four preseason games, made the roster, as did Jacob Bryson.

"I think we're going to face a little adversity right off the bat with the number of guys that we've had out,” Ruff said. “Even the last game, I thought for 45 minutes probably played one of our best games... We're going to deal with maybe a couple defensemen being out.”

“We're going to deal with a goaltender being out, so I think we're going to hit a little adversity. You develop who you're going to be. You just can't start camp and say, ‘We're going to be this.’ So, we've got a chance to prove what we can be by dealing with a little adversity right off the start."

Goalies (3)

Alex Lyon, Alexandar Georgiev, Colten Ellis

Luukkonen left following the first period against the Penguins on Oct. 1 after returning from a lower-body injury. Ruff announced on Oct. 3 that Luukkonen sustained a different lower-body injury and will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. He begins the season on injured reserve.

Luukkonen’s injuries left Alex Lyon and Alexandar Georgiev to handle the majority of the preseason opportunities. The former signed a two-year contract with Buffalo on July 1, and the latter inked his one-year deal on Sept. 11.

Lyon has played 77 games over the last two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and posted a 2.81 goals-against average in 30 games last year. Ruff said he’s still “evaluating” the goaltender situation and noted that Lyon, 32, has an opportunity to shine.

"Probably his first really big opportunity,” Ruff said. “We've given him a pretty good look in the preseason. There's a lot to like about his game. There's also probably a couple goals here and there that he'd want back as a goaltender."

Additionally, the Sabres claimed 25-year-old goaltender Colten Ellis off waivers from the St. Louis Blues on Monday. The 2019 third-round pick finished fourth in the AHL with a .922 save percentage last season.