Sabres’ Jiri Kulich Expected To Miss Rest Of Season With Blood Clot
3/6: After going through rounds of testing to see if he could advance his rehab, it has been determined that Kulich will not be available for the rest of the season, though he is progressing, Sabres general manager told Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. The 21-year-old center will have the Spring to work his way back to full health while the Sabres roster moves towards their first playoff bid in over a decade, bolstered by a revitalized defense. Kulich was gaining firm control over Buffalo’s second-line center role, and even played upwards of 2o minutes a night, in the games leading up to his absence. That will be the standing he targets with a return next season.
11/10: Sabres center Jiri Kulich will miss a “significant amount of time” after a blood clot was diagnosed during an unrelated injury absence, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today (per Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report). Ruff demonstrated optimism about Kulich being able to play again this season, but wouldn’t commit to it, leaving the door open to Kulich’s IR stint being permanent for the balance of the campaign.
They’ll have a better estimate of Kulich’s return timeline based on how his treatment progresses in the next three to four weeks, Ruff said. That’s normal for clotting issues. The Penguins recently had the same thing sideline rookie Filip Hallander and immediately gave him a three-month timeline.
Kulich had already missed three games with a facial injury and was placed on IR late last week as Buffalo tries to manage a crushing amount of injuries to its forward group. Five regulars – Kulich, Zach Benson, Justin Danforth, Joshua Norris, and Jason Zucker – are currently on injured reserve with none expected back in the short term. Understandably, the team’s offense has faltered. Their 2.67 goals per game are sixth-worst in the league, and they’re averaging just 1.75 per game over their last four outings.
Kulich’s long-term health now takes the forefront, though. The 21-year-old had played in 12 straight to begin the year and was frequently serving as their top center between Benson and Tage Thompson. He’s notched three goals and five points with a -4 rating while averaging a career-high 16:22 per game. The No. 28 pick in the 2022 draft is in just his second season as a regular but has managed an 18-11–29 scoring line through his first 75 career games.
With both of Thompson’s usual linemates out of commission, he’s seen Ryan McLeod and Alex Tuch elevated to ride shotgun. That trio practiced together again today, although Buffalo is off until Wednesday after losing 6-3 to the Hurricanes on Saturday.
Sabres, Jordan Greenway Agree To Two-Year Extension
5:04 p.m.: Buffalo has confirmed the rumored extension, announcing a two-year, $8MM ($4MM AAV) extension for Greenway. According to PuckPedia, Greenway will have a five-team no-trade clause in both years of the deal.
12:07 p.m.: The Sabres are nearing an agreement on a two-year extension with winger Jordan Greenway, according to PuckPedia and confirmed by Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The total value is expected to fall in the $7-8MM range with a cap hit north of $3.5MM.
Greenway was likely going to be traded before Friday’s deadline without an agreement in hand. A pending UFA, the 28-year-old clocked in at No. 22 on The Athletic’s most recent trade board and No. 14 at TSN. There was a mutual desire to extend their relationship, though. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said over the weekend that talks were underway, and Greenway had publicly expressed interest in sticking in Buffalo.
The Sabres acquired Greenway from the Wild at the 2023 deadline, sending a second-round and fifth-round pick the other way. Buffalo was in playoff contention at the time, at least enough to be conservative buyers, but ended up missing out on a wild-card spot by one point. Greenway was in the first season of a three-year, $3MM AAV extension at the time, but Minnesota was looking to move him to free up cap space after his offensive production fell off a cliff.
The hard-nosed winger hasn’t matched his career-high of 32 points he set in 56 games with the Wild in the shortened 2020-21 season, but he has managed to boost his production from the disastrous 2022-23 campaign that saw him output just 6-5–11 in 62 games. He skated in 67 games for Buffalo last year, averaging a career-high 17:15 per game while scoring 10-18–28. His +11 rating was fourth on the team, while his 65 blocks ranked second among forwards and his 141 hits ranked first. His possession impacts were more mediocre with a 47.9 CF% and 50.3 xGF% at even strength, but they were still among the better showings of his career and he became a fixture on the penalty kill for the first time.
2024-25 hasn’t been as rosy of a campaign for the 6’6″ Greenway. He’s missed most of the season due to injuries, recently returning from a mid-body surgery that sidelined him for over two months. His 3-5–8 scoring line in 26 games has been a little south of his career-average pace, but his possession impacts have blossomed with a 52.4 CF% at even-strength despite seeing more difficult defensive minutes at even strength. Now established as a legitimate top-nine shutdown winger with shorthanded utility even when he’s not scoring, he’ll earn a slight raise to stick around on a Sabres team destined to extend their playoff drought to 14 seasons.
A two-year deal means Greenway will become a UFA upon expiry following the 2026-27 season. 14 of the 23 players on Buffalo’s active roster are now signed through 2025-26.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Buffalo Sabres Trying To Extend Jordan Greenway
Although the Buffalo Sabres occupy last place in the Eastern Conference standings and are on pace to miss the postseason for a 14th consecutive season, there is at least one pending unrestricted free-agent forward they’ll look to keep rather than dangle at the deadline. In his recently written edition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Sabres have indicated they’re trying to extend Jordan Greenway.
Due to several injuries throughout his two-year tenure in Buffalo, Greenway likely won’t match or exceed his current $3MM salary on a new contract. It’s likely a driving factor behind the Sabres’ motivation to extend rather than trade him at the deadline. He’s an extremely physical winger, but Greenway’s three-goal, eight-point performance in 23 games this year likely wouldn’t command much return, especially as a rental.
Buffalo and Greenway’s best path forward may be for an internal ‘prove it’ deal to see if he can recapture the scoring touch he provided recently as last season. The Canton, NY native scored 10 goals and 28 points in 67 games for the Sabres in the 2023-24 season, which would command a higher return should Buffalo become a seller in a year.
Buffalo Sabres Activate Jordan Greenway, Mattias Samuelsson
The Buffalo Sabres have a pair of veterans back tonight for their game against the New York Rangers. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News passed along a note from the NHL’s media site saying the Sabres had activated forward Jordan Greenway and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson from the injured reserve.
It’s been a long road back for Greenway. The pending unrestricted free agent hasn’t suited up in a game since December 15th due to an undisclosed injury. Considering the three weeks missed from mid-November to early December, Greenway has only participated in 20 games this season.
He hasn’t improved his free agency market when healthy either. Greenway scored three goals and seven points leading up to the injury averaging 15:55 of ice time per game. He’s still a physical forward averaging approximately three hits a game but he shouldn’t expect a payday close to his current $3.5MM salary. Furthermore, it’s difficult to argue that Greenway should still be considered an effective middle-six winger unless he can string together a few healthy seasons.
Meanwhile, Samuelsson returns to the lineup after missing two games leading up to the 4 Nations Face-Off break due to a small fracture in his foot. Unfortunately, those two absences followed 17 others throughout the year. Samuelsson can only reach 63 games played this season should he remain healthy.
On a positive note, 63 games played would become a new career-high for Samuelsson. The Philadelphia, PA native maxed out at 55 games played during the 2022-23 season — just before signing a seven-year, $30MM extension with Buffalo. Still, the Sabres will have a completely healthy lineup for tonight’s game against the Rangers.
Tuch Hopes To Remain With Sabres
Sabres winger Alex Tuch has been involved in plenty of trade speculation lately with teams believed to be calling Buffalo to see if they might consider moving him. However, if he has his way, he won’t be going anywhere. Tuch told Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News that he remains “heavily committed to this organization” and still hopes to be with the team past the upcoming trade deadline. The 28-year-old has 19 goals and 24 assists in 54 games this season on Buffalo’s top line and is only two years removed from a 79-point campaign. He’s one of their better bargains at a $4.75MM price tag which means that if the Sabres do decide to move him, they’ll be in line to land a significant return for his services. But it doesn’t sound like that’s the direction that Tuch would like to see things go.
Tage Thompson To Serve As Standby Player For Team USA
Team USA has been given permission to bring Sabres center Tage Thompson and Devils defenseman Brett Pesce to Boston as standby players for Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off finale, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. As was the case with Quinn Hughes who was initially intended as the reserve player, the only way Thompson or Pesce could suit up versus Canada is if Team USA drops below 12 healthy forwards or six healthy blueliners. Thompson was one of the more notable omissions from the initial roster and is averaging a point per game through 48 outings in Buffalo. Meanwhile, Pesce has been as advertised in his first season with New Jersey, logging nearly 21 minutes a night in a shutdown role in his 48 appearances.
Could Byram's Next Contract Surpass $9MM Per Season?
Between the pending jump in the salary cap over the next few seasons and the fact the Sabres are paying Owen Power $8.35MM, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News believes that blueliner Bowen Byram’s next contract could run past the $9MM range. The 23-year-old has already matched his career high in points, notching 29 through Buffalo’s first 54 games. He’s also averaging more than 23 minutes a night of playing time, a number that would also be a career-best if that holds up down the stretch. Giving Byram that much would have the Sabres spending close to $30MM on their top three defenders but it would also give them plenty of upside at that position for a while. Byram is a pending restricted free agent with salary arbitration eligibility this summer and will be owed a $4.62MM qualifying offer in late June.
Kozak Likely To Be Recalled After Break
- Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News suggests that it’s unlikely that center Tyson Kozak will remain in the minors once NHL play resumes next Saturday. The 22-year-old has played in 11 games so far with Buffalo where he has a goal and a 48.1% success rate at the faceoff dot in 10:25 per night of playing time. Lysowski notes that Kozak’s defensive play has drawn praise from Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff but on the other hand, playing a young prospect that little might not be the most ideal option from a longer-term development perspective.
Sabres And Jason Zucker Have Started Extension Talks
Veteran winger Jason Zucker has been a nice addition for the Sabres this season and he is on pace for one of his best offensive years. As a pending unrestricted free agent, Buffalo will soon have a decision to make in terms of flipping him by the March 7th trade deadline or trying to sign him to a contract extension. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported earlier this week that their preference is the latter as the two sides recently held preliminary discussions about a new deal.
The 33-year-old played on a one-year contract last season, splitting time between Arizona and Nashville. However, he was only able to collect 14 goals and 18 assists in 69 regular season games between the two sides which didn’t help his market value heading into free agency last summer. As a result, Zucker ultimately settled for another one-year pact in July, signing for $5MM.
That deal has worked out well for both sides. Zucker has already surpassed his numbers from last season, putting up 18 goals and 23 assists in 52 games. His 41 points put him fourth on the team in scoring but only two points behind Rasmus Dahlin for a share of second place. Barring injury, Zucker appears to be well on his way toward recording his seventh career season of at least 20 goals.
Last month, Zucker acknowledged that he’d be interested in extending his stay with Buffalo. Speculatively, he’d want a multi-year agreement this time around and according to Lysowski, that appears to be something that’s on the table. With a $7.5MM jump in the Upper Limit of the salary cap coming next season, Zucker now should be able to land a small raise on his current price tag as well.
Lysowski adds that GM Kevyn Adams’ preference is to not sell over the next three weeks despite their placement at the bottom of the Eastern Conference so clearly, his preference is to get a new agreement in place. However, it appears that if Zucker prefers to move on and land with a contender, they will grant that request and then attempt to bring him back in the summer. In the meantime, they have three more weeks to see if contract discussions can yield a new deal.
No Extension Talks Yet With Greenway
Discussions about a possible contract extension have not started between the Sabres and pending UFA winger Jordan Greenway, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The trade deadline is now less than a month away but it doesn’t appear discussions about a possible new deal will begin until much closer to that time though there is believed to be mutual interest in getting an agreement in place. Greenway is expected to return from his mid-body injury after the break, an injury that will have kept him out for more than two months. The 27-year-old has three goals and four assists in 20 games this season and will likely be heading for a small raise on his current $3MM price tag on his next contract.