Sabres forward Justin Danforth had a year to forget, getting into just four games this season, breaking his kneecap in his last one. Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald relays that the 33-year-old ultimately underwent two surgeries, one to repair the initial injury and one to repair some lingering cartilage which dashed any hopes of a return before the season ended. Danforth is believed to be nearing full health now which should allow for close to a full offseason of training. He has one year left on his contract with a $1.8MM AAV and with Buffalo facing a potential cap crunch with several players needing new deals, Danforth’s roster spot may not be completely secure heading into 2026-27.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Before the Maple Leafs hired John Chayka as their new GM, one of the speculative candidates for the job was former Vancouver GM Mike Gillis. Speaking on a recent Sekeres & Price podcast (audio link), Gillis indicated that he never interviewed for the GM role as had been suggested. Instead, he was interviewed for a specific role that ultimately wasn’t filled, ending his candidacy in a hurry. Based on his comments, the role either would have been a team president one where he reshaped the rest of the front office but ultimately, the hirings of Chayka and Mats Sundin didn’t see a president named.
- With the KHL playoffs now over, Oilers broadcaster Bob Stauffer suggests (Twitter link) that it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team sign Maxim Berezkin. The 24-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2020 and has been a full-time KHL player for basically the last four seasons. It was thought that Edmonton wanted to sign him last summer but Berezkin ultimately decided to stay home for one more year. That might not have been the best move development-wise, as he scored just seven goals in 62 games this season with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, although he managed 25 assists as well.
- Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and Ducks center Leo Carlsson have declined invitations to play for Sweden at the Worlds, reports Hockey Sverige’s Uffe Bodin (Twitter link). Both players were eliminated in the second round and the Swedes were holding two spots open on their roster in case they could entice one of them to go. Instead, they’ve since registered former San Jose defenseman Tim Heed to fill out their roster for the tournament.