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Buffalo Sabres Zach Benson Out Week-To-Week With Injury

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The Buffalo Sabres have announced that rookie forward Zach Benson is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Benson has played six games so far this season, recording two points and a -1.

Zach Benson has become a name to follow through the early season, wowing at training camp after going 14th overall in the most recent NHL Draft. His early jump to the NHL has surprised many, and Benson’s statistical profile may speak to the need for a little more time in the oven. He’s currently carrying a 43.44 CF% and 50.0 xGF% – modest numbers that certainly aren’t bad for an 18-year-old but are enough to make an NHL team look in another direction. The Sabres have three more free games of Benson before they’re faced with the decision of spending a contract year or not. If they decide he’s better off getting some more development time, he’ll be sent back to the Wenatchee Wild of the WHL, where teammate Matthew Savoie will play after his AHL conditioning stint.

The Sabres recalled undrafted forward Brandon Biro to the NHL in response to Benson’s injury. Biro will likely become the team’s extra forward, as Tyson Jost slots in to fill Benson’s role. Jost has played in six games so far this season, tallying two points, split evenly. Jost is in his first full season with the Sabres, after joining them partway through the 2022-23 campaign. He netted 22 points in 59 games with Buffalo last year.

The news of Benson’s injury is a tough blow for a Sabres lineup looking to elevate their young talent. It could also have negative implications on Benson’s case to stay in the NHL, as he’ll be fighting to both return to form after injury and keep an NHL roster spot when he returns to play.

Sabres Recall Brandon Biro

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11:30 AM: Buffalo head coach Don Granato has announced that Biro will play in the team’s Wednesday matchup. This announcement comes in light of Zach Benson’s week-to-week injury.

9:30 AM: The Buffalo Sabres have recalled winger Brandon Biro to the NHL. Biro has spent the beginning of the season in the AHL, where he’s scored six points in five games. He’s one of six Rochester Americans currently scoring above a point-per-game pace, with top U20 prospects Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich co-leading the team in scoring, both sat with nine points in seven games.

The Sabers signed Biro as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of Penn State’s 2019-20 season, making his professional debut in the following year. He scored five points in 15 games in his first AHL season, following it up with a more prominent 41 points in 48 games in 2021-22. That was the same year that Biro received his first NHL recall, making his NHL debut but failing to appear in any more games. Biro was sent back to the minor leagues and continued to establish himself as one of Rochester’s top scorers.

Buffalo has operated with a relatively consistent forward group, with only two players – Zach Benson and Victor Olofsson – not appearing in all nine of the team’s games so far. The former was held out by injury and the latter by a healthy scratching, with Tyson Jost cycling in when either has missed time. Biro joins Jost as the only extra skaters that Buffalo is carrying while Connor Clifton serves a two-game suspension. With such a consistent forward group, it’s more likely that Biro’s recall is to provide additional depth rather than looking for an additional roster player. But if Biro does get to slot in, he’ll have a chance to play in just his second NHL game and search for his first NHL point.

Atlantic Notes: Vasilevskiy, Motte, Cooley

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Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy skated briefly with the team for the first time as he works his way back from back surgery, relays Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times.  The netminder joined the team with about ten minutes left in practice but head coach Jon Cooper was quick to point out that this isn’t a sign that his recovery is ahead of schedule.  At the time of the surgery back in late September, Vasilevskiy was expected to miss eight to ten weeks so he’s still at least a month away from returning.  While many expected Tampa Bay to make a move to shore things up between the pipes, Jonas Johansson has fared rather well in the early going this season, notching a 2.56 GAA and a .925 SV% along with two shutouts in his first seven starts.  If he can keep that up a bit longer, they might be able to get away without adding another goalie after all.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Also from Ackert’s column, winger Tyler Motte took part in his second straight practice as he works his way back from an upper-body injury sustained in the season opener. The 28-year-old was a late signing after Josh Archibald decided not to play this season despite inking a two-year deal with the Lightning back in July.  Motte is hoping to accompany the club on their upcoming road trip that begins on Thursday in Columbus so it appears he could be back in the lineup in the near future.
  • Following their victory over Colorado today, the Sabres announced (Twitter link) that they have returned goaltender Devin Cooley to AHL Rochester. The 26-year-old was brought up yesterday with Eric Comrie going on IR yesterday and Devon Levi not yet ready to return.  As Levi remains on the active roster, Buffalo can send Cooley down.  They’re off until Wednesday so if Levi still isn’t available then, expect Cooley to be recalled at that time.

Sabres Officially Move Eric Comrie To Injured Reserve

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The Buffalo Sabres have placed goaltender Eric Comrie on injured reserve. General manager Kevyn Adams said that the netminder is likely going to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury.

Comrie’s injury has coincided with an injury to promising rookie goalie Devon Levi, leaving Buffalo without their top two options. The team has turned towards Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devin Cooley in their absence. Luukkonen has recorded a 1-1 record in two starts as the team’s newfound starter, setting a .881 save percentage and 4.83 goals-against-average. Cooley has yet to slot into the starter’s net but will be playing in his NHL debut whenever he gets the chance. Cooley was an undrafted free agent that operated as the backup to Yaroslav Askarov for the Milwaukee Admirals last season. He set a .909 save percentage in 26 games throughout the year – his second full AHL season. Now in the Sabres system, Cooley appeared in four games for the Rochester Americans this season, winning all four games with a .903 save percentage.

Buffalo will undoubtedly anticipate the return of Levi, who has recorded a .892 save percentage and a 1-3-0 record through four games this season. The quartet of games brings him to just 11 career NHL games between this season and last. He has a .901 save percentage through those 11 games and was anticipated to enter the season as the clear-cut starter. But the 21-year-old Levi is facing stark competition in Comrie, who has played in three games and set a .914 save percentage so far this season.

Levi, who is considered day-to-day with injury, will have a clear runway upon his return with Comrie now out of action. But how the duo vies for starts when both are fully healthy should be exciting to see. Either Buffalo will continue with the hot hand of Comrie, who has lost twice despite strong stats, or they’ll further empower the young and promising Levi. Either way, the Sabres are certainly due for better days in net once these injuries clear up.

Erik Johnson Had Several Suitors In Free Agency

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Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson told Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription link) that there were three or four other teams that had “intense talks” about a contract for him this summer with his former team in Colorado not being among those once the bidding started to go up.  The 35-year-old inked a one-year, $3.25MM deal of the opening day of free agency, a surprising price tag for someone who had just eight assists in 63 games last season.  Johnson already has a goal with his new team but is logging a career-low 15:13 per night this season.

Connor Clifton Receives Two-Game Suspension

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12:30 PM: The verdict is in for Clifton and the Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that Clifton has received a two-game suspension.  He’ll be eligible to return on Friday in the back half of a home-and-home set against Philadelphia.  From the video:

Clifton finishes a high, hard check that cuts in front of Hischier’s core making his head the main point of contact on a hit when head contact was avoidable…  If Clifton wants to deliver this hit, Clifton must stay low and choose an angle that hits through Hischier’s shoulder and core, rather than one that makes the head the main point of contact.

9:20 AM: Following a hit that saw him ejected from last night’s game in New Jersey, the league announced that defenseman Connor Clifton will have a disciplinary hearing today.

With just over four minutes remaining in the first period, Clifton hit Devils center Nico Hischier up high near the boards and, after video review, was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head.  That carries an automatic league review and upon that review, they’ve determined to proceed with a hearing.

Hischier missed the rest of the period, came back for the second, but did not return.  Following the game, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters including Ryan Novozinsky of the Newark Star-Ledger that they decided to hold out the captain for precautionary reasons and will re-evaluate him today.

The Sabres are back in action on Sunday against Colorado so any suspension, if one is coming, will need to be announced by then.  Clifton has not been suspended previously in his NHL career.

Sabres Recall Devin Cooley; Eric Comrie Out Week-To-Week

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The Sabres have been carrying three goalies on their roster all season long but injuries have struck, resulting in them needing to bring up another one as the team announced that they’ve recalled Devin Cooley from AHL Rochester.

The recall was needed with Eric Comrie exiting yesterday’s game against New Jersey in the second period with a lower-body injury. GM Kevyn Adams told reporters including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) that Comrie will be out on a week-to-week basis.

Meanwhile, opening night starter Devon Levi has only skated once in the last nine days as he’s dealing with a lower-body issue of his own; Adams indicated that they’re hopeful that he can return to practice on Tuesday.  Buffalo also has veteran third-stringer Dustin Tokarski under contract but he suffered an upper-body injury during training camp that he hasn’t recovered from so Cooley is the next player up.

The 26-year-old is in his first season with the Sabres organization after spending the last three seasons in Nashville’s system.  He has played in four games with the Americans this year, posting a 3.46 GAA with a .903 SV%.  Cooley is set to serve as the backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for Buffalo’s next game on Sunday against Colorado.

Eric Comrie Leaves Game Due To Lower-Body Injury

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  • In tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils, the Buffalo Sabres announced that goaltender, Eric Comrie, will not return to the game after suffering a lower-body injury. It is unfortunate news for the Sabres after Comrie has had to start three of the last four games due to an injury from regular starting netminder, Devon Levi. If Comrie is expected to miss a significant amount of time, Buffalo’s third-string goaltender, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will likely see the majority of starts for the foreseeable future.

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Buffalo Sabres Assign Matt Savoie To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Buffalo Sabres have sent 2022 eighth-overall pick Matt Savoie to the AHL’s Rochester Americans on a conditioning loan.

Savoie was injured at the team’s prospect tournament and has been on injured reserve to start the season. This loan will allow Savoie to get some games under his belt in the AHL, a league he played two playoff games in at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Savoie, who will turn 20 on January 1st, misses the cut-off for automatic AHL eligibility by just one day. The Sabres have reportedly petitioned the WHL to give Savoie an exemption and allow him to play in the AHL, but while Seattle Kraken prospect Shane Wright received one such exemption from the OHL, the Sabres have reportedly not been optimistic about Savoie’s odds of receiving one from the WHL.

That reality means that once Savoie’s conditioning assignment has concluded, he’ll in all likelihood be on his way back to the WHL, where he’ll play for the Wenatchee Wild.

The WHL’s Wild have struggled so far this season without Savoie or Zach Benson, who was a surprise addition to the Sabres’ NHL roster to start the season. Savoie scored 95 points in the WHL last year and would be a massive, difference-making addition for Wenatchee.

There’s also always the chance that Savoie ends up called back to the Sabres’ NHL roster, although that possibility becomes more unlikely if Benson maintains his hold on a spot in head coach Don Granato’s lineup.

Levi And Benson Skate But Not Available Tonight

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When Vancouver decided to buy out Oliver Ekman-Larsson this summer, it was the richest buyout in NHL history.  It’s a move the blueliner didn’t see coming as he told Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription link) that he was surprised by their decision after his exit meetings and discussions with the team had been focused on his role with the Canucks for the 2023-24 campaign.  Ekman-Larsson elected to take a one-year deal with the Panthers this summer worth $2.5MM and with the injuries to both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, they have leaned on him heavily so far as he is averaging more than 25 minutes a night through Florida’s first four games.  The last time he passed that threshold was back in 2014-15 with Arizona and while it’s unrealistic to think he’ll play that much the entire season, they’re certainly pleased with the early returns so far.

More from the Atlantic:

  • While Devon Levi and Zach Benson took part in Buffalo’s practice today, neither will be in uniform tonight against the Islanders, relays Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. Both rookies are listed as day-to-day with lower-body injuries.  Neither have been placed on IR because of the short timelines for a return so they’re not able to bring replacements up from AHL Rochester.  With Levi unavailable, Eric Comrie will make his first start of the season for Buffalo.
  • David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that the Canadiens had re-engaged in trade talks around winger Joel Armia last week. The veteran cleared waivers earlier this month and was just recalled earlier today but won’t play tonight against Washington.  Armia has another season after this one left on his contract which carries a $3.4MM AAV.  Accordingly, it stands to reason that any trade involving him will be a swap of overpaid veterans in need of a change of scenery.
  • Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk will be a healthy scratch tonight against Los Angeles, the team announced (Twitter link). The scratching isn’t a performance-based one but rather a disciplinary one as he was late to a team meeting.  The 27-year-old has been held without a point through his first three games of the season, not quite the start he was hoping for in a contract year as he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time next summer.

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