Sabres’ Zach Benson Not Expected To Return This Week
The NHL’s three-week break wasn’t long enough for a top Buffalo Sabres forward to kick the injury bug. Winger Zach Benson is not expected to play in the team’s return from the Olympic break due to an undisclosed issue separate from his recent upper-body injury, head coach Lindy Ruff told NHL.com’s Heather Engel. Benson has been practicing on his own, per Engel.
Benson had a hard crash into the boards during Buffalo’s February 2nd win over the Florida Panthers. He scored Buffalo’s fourth goal of the game before going down with injury. With that tally, Benson reached four points over his last six games and 26 points in 42 games on the season. He appears set to crack 20 assists, and a positive plus-minus, for the first time in his three-year NHL career. That growth has coincided with a boost up the lineup. Benson has commanded second-line minutes at points this season, largely on the back of his effort away from the puck.
That tenacity caught up to the 5-foot-10 forward as Buffalo approached the midlde of the season. Buffalo turned toward top prospect Konsta Helenius for their last two games following Benson’s injury. Helenius recorded four hits and an even plus-minus in the matchups. He failed to continue the hot scoring that he kicked off his NHL career with – netting four points in his first three games – but still proved impactful away from the puck.
That will make Buffalo’s decisions a bit tougher when Benson is back to full health. Benson will slot back into the Sabres top-nine while Helenius will push into competition for ice time with Isak Rosen, Tyson Kozak, and Beck Malenstyn. Of the bunch, the Sabres have preferred to keep Helenius in the minors, where his 38 points in 40 games rank third on the AHL’s Rochester Americans.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Zach Metsa
The Buffalo Sabres announced this morning that they have recalled defenseman Zach Metsa from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
Metsa was originally reassigned at the start of the Olympic break. He’s spent a larger portion of this season on the Sabres’ NHL roster. Since Buffalo next plays on Wednesday, the same day the Americans have their next game, Metsa would not get the chance to play in any additional games by remaining on the AHL roster, hence today’s recall.
Today’s recall comes during what has been the most successful campaign of Metsa’s pro career. The 27-year-old is an undrafted player who signed with the Sabres coming out of college, where he captained Quinnipiac University to a national championship in 2022-23. Metsa has developed at a steady pace at the AHL level, going from 24 points in 54 games in his rookie season to 46 points in 69 games as a second-year pro.
This season, Metsa has 15 points in 16 games as his performances earned him a depth role at the NHL level. While he hasn’t yet earned the trust of head coach Lindy Ruff to the point where he’s trusted to play a strong diet of minutes (he averages just 9:42 time on ice per game) he has gotten into 26 NHL games.
If Metsa can continue to earn the trust of Ruff, the Sabres could end up getting real surplus value on Metsa’s contract. The two-year deal he signed in July of last year has an additional season remaining at a $775K NHL salary and $325K total guarantee.
While Metsa isn’t playing very much in the NHL right now, if he can build himself to the point where he’s relied on as a capable third-pairing or even No. 7 defenseman, his league-minimum NHL cap hit should give the Sabres solid cap savings next to what a comparable player might cost on the open market.
When Metsa was sent down on Feb. 6, he was reassigned alongside two young Sabres forwards: Konsta Helenius and Isak Rosén. Neither player has been recalled to this point, but given how well each has played at the AHL level this season, it would be a surprise to see them spend too much time in Rochester in the remaining portion of the season.
Tage Thompson A Full Participant At Practice
With the chance to win his third Gold Medal, all eyes are on whether captain Sidney Crosby will play for Team Canada tomorrow. Crosby left Canada’s quarterfinal matchup against Czechia due to a lower-body injury and didn’t appear in the semifinal contest against Finland.
Earlier today, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported that there’s a “70% chance” that Crosby will play tomorrow. Head coach Jon Cooper and the rest of Team Canada’s staff wanted to see how Crosby handled practice this morning and what his limitations will be tomorrow morning (local time).
Regardless, it would be unimaginable for Crosby not to play in what is likely the last Olympic tournament of his career. Even if he has to take a page out of Victor Hedman‘s book, who remained on Team Sweden’s bench for the quarterfinal game after suffering an injury in warmups, Crosby will likely suit up in some capacity tomorrow.
Other notes from the Olympics:
- One player who will not play for Team Canada tomorrow is defenseman Josh Morrissey. Earlier this week, it seemed that Morrissey might return from his upper-body injury by the semifinals. However, Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press reported that he has already been ruled out of the Gold Medal game. Media personnel asked Cooper if he could clarify Morrissey’s injury and if he suffered any setbacks, to which Cooper replied, “No. With all due respect to Winnipeg.“
- After leaving yesterday’s game in the third period for precautionary reasons, Tage Thompson was back on the ice with Team USA this morning. Given that he was back on the ice, there’s every indication he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow morning. He has had a strong performance so far, scoring three goals and four points in five games with a +3 rating.
- In today’s Bronze Medal game between Finland and Slovakia, the latter club was without Martin Pospisil, who has been dealing with a nagging injury for most of the Olympic tournament, according to Arpon Basu of The Athletic. There could be some cause for concern, given that Pospisil missed a decent chunk of the 2025-26 season due to an undisclosed injury in training camp. He finished the Olympics with one assist in six games.
No Progress On Tuch Extension Talks
While Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen called extending pending UFA winger Alex Tuch a top priority after being named to the position, it doesn’t appear progress is being made on that front. In a recent appearance on DFO Live (video link), The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported that while the sides remain communicative, they aren’t getting any closer to getting a deal in place. The 29-year-old is in the middle of another strong season, as he has posted 22 goals and 26 assists in 56 games so far. At this point, it’s likely that he’ll more than double his current $4.75MM AAV based on comparable wingers to sign extensions in recent months. But even if Kekalainen isn’t willing to pay that price tag just yet, it’s unlikely that he’d turn around and move Tuch before the March 6th trade deadline with Buffalo in the playoff picture as they look to reach the postseason for the first time since 2011.
Team USA’s Tage Thompson Leaves Game For Precautionary Reasons
Team USA winger Tage Thompson was held out of the third period against Team Slovakia for precautionary reasons. He was seen removing his skate and walking up-and-down the tunnel between the second and third periods, though the nature of his injury wasn’t specified. USA head coach Mike Sullivan shared postgame that he expects Thompson to suit up for Sunday’s Gold Medal matchup against Team Canada per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Thompson scored a powerplay goal in the second period. He has been a hot hand for the United States all tournament long, scoring three goals and four points in five games. Thompson’s big frame and sharpshooting have earned him a role on the top power-play unit – a bold statement after the 28 year old was left off of USA’s roster for the 2025 4-Nations Face-Off. Thompson has emerged as a core piece of the USA offense and should be slotted into another starring role should he indeed suit up for the Gold Medal game.
This level of scoring comes as no surprise to the Buffalo Sabres. Thompson leads the Sabres with 30 goals and 59 points in 57 games, putting him on pace to reach 43 goals and 85 points across 82 games. That mark would land above the 44 goals and 72 points that Thompson posted last season, though still sits under his career-high 47 goals and 94 points scored in 78 games of the 2022-23 season.
Latest On Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Scott Ratzlaff
Los Angeles Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson told reporters, including Zach Dooley, Manager of Editorial Content for the team, that he is optimistic to return next game post-break, against Vegas on February 25.
The 26-year-old was able to skate over the break and is on the right track. Anderson left early against Carolina on February 1 with an apparent finger injury, unable to go in the Kings’ last two games before the Olympics. Clearly missing their trusty shutdown sidekick of Drew Doughty, the Kings lost both, and were outscored 8-3. Anderson was placed on injured reserve February 8.
Set to host Vegas in six days, the game will be full of excitement as Artemi Panarin is expected to make his long awaited Kings debut, although with the damper of missing Kevin Fiala after his devastating injury in Milan. Hopefully with Anderson back in the mix, Los Angeles will work on catching Anaheim for the second Wild Card spot and push for the playoffs.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned to practice today, noted by Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550, and seems to be on track to return in his club’s next game as well. The soon to be 27-year-old left mid game against Toronto on January 27 due to an apparent lower-body injury, concerning as he had to miss the start of the campaign due to the same ailment. Unfortunately, the injury cost him a spot on Team Finland at the Olympics, opening the door for Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo. Luukkonen has posted a .902 save percentage and 2.73 goals against average, to go with an 11-7-2 record. Buffalo is back in action next Wednesday at New Jersey.
- Not surprising given Luukkonen’s positive news, Buffalo reassigned fellow netminder Scott Ratzlaff back to ECHL Jacksonville earlier today. Like many others across the league, Ratzlaff got to fill in and practice with the big club during the Olympic break. A fifth round selection by the team in 2023, the 20-year-old is in his first professional season hailing from the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. Ratzlaff has spent most time in the ECHL, posting a strong .916 save percentage in 12 contests, also playing in six games for AHL Rochester, winning three.
Levi No Longer Feeling Rushed In His Development
- Sabres goalie Devon Levi acknowledged to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that he no longer feels rushed anymore when it comes to his development. Buffalo put him straight into a late-season playoff chase in 2022 but since then, he has struggled at the NHL level. This season, the team had him take a step back as he has played exclusively with AHL Rochester and has done well, posting a 2.57 GAA with a .910 SV% in 32 appearances. Even with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen currently injured, Buffalo will need to have another netminder go down with an injury before Levi becomes a viable option to be recalled this season.
Strain On Top-Four Could Push Sabres To Add Defense
A three-week break for the 2026 Winter Olympics will be exactly what the Buffalo Sabres need to try and spark a reset on the blue-line. The rest will be most helpful for defenseman Michael Kesselring, who has been playing through a high-ankle sprain for much of the year per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. That is the same injury that has already sidelined Kesselring for 21 games, across two stints, this season.
Kesselring isn’t the only Sabres defender on the shelf. Conor Timmins remains on crutches while recoverying from a broken leg, and is targeting a return to skating when the Sabres return, per Fairburn.
The pair of injuries have pushed Jacob Bryson and Zach Metsa into competition for bottom-pair minutes, usually next to a hobbled Kesselring. But neither depth defender has stood up to big plays through their limited appearances. Bryson has scored only five points in 35 games this season – and has struggled with untimely turnovers as of late. Metsa only has two points in 26 appearances. Those quiet impacts have left the two grasping for 10 minutes of ice time a game, and put a heavy load on Buffalo’s top-four defenders.
That could make defense a priority add as the Sabres approach the Trade Deadline in an unfamiliar buyer’s position. Buffalo has pulled together a core-four on defense, led by superstar Rasmus Dahlin and hot-hand Mattias Samuelsson, and backed by Bowen Byram and Owen Power. The quartet has given the Sabres a long-awaited comfort on defense – and proved strong enough to stand up to heavy minutes. They respectively lead Sabres’ skaters in ice time per game, with Dahlin averaging 24:33 on top and Power averagng 21:40.
Adding a fifth defender to that mix would do more than give Buffalo three complete pairings. It would give them reliability on special teams. Adding another defensive stalwart could free Byram up to focus more on the power-play, taking some weight off of Dahlin who has played nearly 100 more power-play minutes than any other Sabres defender. Or, Buffalo could seek out a puck-mover, and free Power up from the role of third-string power-play defender.
Hard-hitting lefty Logan Stanley has been rumored to be a loose pick for the Winnipeg Jets. He could be a shrewd, and cost-effective, addition – capable of stepping up when the stars need a rest without getting in the way on the depth chart. A more reliable, two-way option could be San Jose Sharks defender Mario Ferraro, who has been on-and-off the trade block for many seasons. Both players would be strong partners for a fully-healthy Kesselring, offering a safety-net to prop up his play-driving.
Both Stanley and Ferraro – or, other market options like Pittsburgh’s Brett Kulak – would fit well into the Sabres’ salary books. Buffalo is expected to carry $21.24MM in cap space into the Trade Deadline. That flexibility, a fairly full cupboard of draft picks, and a strong prospect pool should be more than enough to land Buffalo an impactful bottom-pair defenseman on a seller’s market when the Deadline rolls around. A new face would slot Timmins nicely into the extra defender roll, when healthy, and bump Bryson and Metsa once rung down the depth chart.
Buffalo Sabres Reassign Three Players
The Buffalo Sabres have reassigned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans: forwards Konsta Helenius and Isak Rosen, as well as defenseman Zach Metsa. The moves are part of the Sabres’ preparations for the Olympic break now that their slate of NHL games before the Olympics has concluded.
It’s no major surprise that Buffalo would want to see this trio of players become available for the Americans over the break. Getting each one back onto the AHL roster will give Rochester a significant, immediate boost in its odds of winning games, starting tonight when they take on the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Helenius and Rosen are two of Rochester’s best forwards. Helenius, 19, was Buffalo’s 2024 first-round pick and the No. 14 overall pick of his draft class. Helenius was selected after a strong 36-point rookie campaign playing against men in Finland’s Liiga, meaning his quick transition to the AHL game isn’t hugely surprising.
He scored 14 goals and 36 points last season as an AHL rookie, and has nine goals and 30 points across 34 AHL games this season. Despite spending some time on the Sabres NHL roster, Helenius remains ranked No. 2 in scoring among forwards on the Americans roster in 2025-26.
The Americans’ leading forward scorer is Rosen, one of the club’s 2021 first-round picks. It’s a big year for the pending RFA, as he’s looking to finally seize a more permanent role on the Sabres’ NHL roster. That will have to wait until after the break, but during the break, he is expected to be one of Rochester’s key forwards. He scored 28 goals and 55 points in the AHL last season, and has 20 goals and 32 points in 30 games this year.
Unlike both forwards that were reassigned, Metsa is not a first-round pick and top prospect. Instead, the blueliner is a 27-year-old undrafted player who has carved out a real NHL role for himself after putting together a steep, positive development trajectory in Rochester. The right-shot blueliner scored 24 points in 54 games as an AHL rookie in 2023-24 before jumping up to 46 points in 69 games last season.
This year, Metsa has spent more time in the NHL than the AHL. He has 13 points in 14 AHL games, and has played in 26 NHL games, scoring two points. He’s largely been a sheltered third-pairing blueliner in the NHL, averaging just 9:42 time on ice per game.
While he’s yet to fully earn the trust of head coach Lindy Ruff, the fact that he’s been able to play in so many NHL games over other depth blueliners indicates just how much his standing has grown in the Sabres organization over the last year.
He’ll be one of the Americans’ top defensemen during the break and could very well land back with the team if the Sabres elect to add defensive reinforcements from outside the organization via a trade at some point after the roster freeze, but before the trade deadline.
Latest On Zach Benson
The Columbus Blue Jackets shared today that Rick Nash has been promoted to Director of Player Personnel, and Chris Clark has been promoted to Assistant General Manager. The two former NHLers have spent several years with the franchise, dating back to the Jarmo Kekäläinen/John Tortorella era.
Upon the end of his 1,060 game, 805 point career, Nash returned to the Columbus organization in 2019, starting out as Special Assistant to the General Manager, before promotions to Director of Player Development and Director of Hockey Operations in the last few years.
With his #61 alone in the rafters of Nationwide Arena, the 41-year-old has made an immeasurable impact in Columbus, starting with his first overall selection back in 2002. Nash spent nine seasons carrying the Blue Jackets as they got off the ground as an expansion franchise, followed by making his mark as a Ranger, as well as a stint in Boston, officially retiring in six years ago.
Meanwhile, Clark has been with the organization since 2012, starting out as a development coach, before moving up in 2019 to Director of Player Personnel and General Manager of the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate. Under Clark, the Monsters have gradually improved year by year, making playoff runs in each of the last two seasons.
The 49-year-old Connecticut native was chosen by Calgary in the 1994 draft, going on to make 607 appearances in the NHL with the Flames, Capitals, and finally, the Blue Jackets, last skating at the highest level in 2010-11.
The franchise icon Nash, along with the highly respected Clark help round out General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Don Waddell’s top brass, the 67-year-old set to reach two years in the role this May. Currently below a Wild Card spot, the Blue Jackets have tremendously found their stride under new Head Coach Rick Bowness, winning eight of his first nine games. With a dynamic young core, the club figures to be on the cusp of another window in years to come, after reaching new heights as an organization in the late 2010s.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote told reporters, including Thomas Drance of The Athletic, that Filip Chytil will likely not return tomorrow in Vegas, which is the team’s last action before the Olympic break. The forward is dealing with migraines, concerning as he has struggled with concussions throughout his career, so far holding him back from breaking out as a legit top six forward. Chytil managed to return in late January from another concussion, skating in six games, but not recording a point. Limited to just 27 games as a Canuck, despite a trade from the Rangers which just reached one calendar year ago, unfortunately the 26-year-old is facing real questions about his long-term career in the NHL.
- Sabres forward Zach Benson won’t play tonight in Tampa Bay, as reported by Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News. The 20-year-old took a spill into the boards last night against the Panthers and did not return, due to an apparent upper-body injury which will require further evaluation. Buffalo has one more game before the Olympic Break, and will hope that Benson will not miss serious time. He has notched 26 points in 42 games, needing just five more to set a career high, making the most of a key top six role throughout the campaign.