Michael Houser Clears Waivers
Feb 3: Friedman reports that Houser has cleared waivers. He can now be sent to the minor leagues.
Feb 2: The Buffalo Sabres, finally getting some goaltenders healthy again, have placed Michael Houser on waivers today according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The team had Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski dressed last night, meaning Houser can now return to the minor leagues and wait for his next NHL opportunity.
It’s been an interesting year for Houser, who was playing in the ECHL as recently as 2019-20. The undrafted netminder was on a minor league deal last season when the Sabres were forced to sign him to an NHL contract and put him in the net. The exact same situation happened again this season when he was signed in mid-January after more goaltending issues in Buffalo. Despite all that he has actually been excellent when called upon and now spots a career NHL save percentage of .917 through six appearances.
Still, the chance of him being claimed at this point is extremely low given his checkered history in the minor leagues, which only even includes 23 AHL appearances since the start of the 2015-16 season. Should he clear as expected, he’ll likely go back to Rochester where the Americans are scheduled to play 13 games in February.
It will be interesting to see who would be the first call-up should the Sabres run into any other goaltending trouble, after Aaron Dell was also sent to the AHL earlier this week. The veteran goaltender appears to have served his full suspension by staying on the active roster through the game against the Colorado Avalanche, meaning he could be recalled and play for the Sabres whenever necessary.
Tage Thompson, Rasmus Asplund Healthy For Buffalo
The Buffalo Sabres are getting two big pieces back for tonight’s tough tilt against the Vegas Golden Knights, as the team tweeted before game time that forwards Tage Thompson and Rasmus Asplund are ready to return to the lineup.
Thompson missed the team’s last game, a 4-1 loss to Colorado, with an undisclosed injury that he sustained the night before in Arizona. Asplund was placed in COVID protocol, rendering him unavailable for the games against Arizona and Colorado.
One of the best stories in Buffalo this season is Thompson, who’s made the leap to potentially a true top-nine piece as the Sabres build down the line after being shifted to center by head coach Don Granato. He’s second on the team with 14 goals and has 29 points in 40 games. He’ll center the top line tonight between two players looking to have revenge games in Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch.
Asplund, a second-round selection in 2016, has also now made the leap to full-time NHLer. He’s been a good two-way presence in the team’s bottom six, and he’s registered a respectable 16 points in 42 games (a 31-point pace).
Sabres Place Zemgus Girgensons On IR; Activate Dahlin, Olofsson From Protocol
The Buffalo Sabres activated defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and forward Victor Olofsson from COVID protocol ahead of tonight’s game against Colorado after erroneous COVID tests held them out of their last game on Saturday. The team also placed center Zemgus Girgensons on injured reserve retroactive to January 28th with an undisclosed injury.
Girgensons, the longest-tenured Sabre, missed the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign with a hamstring injury suffered during training camp. Back and healthy for this year, he’s brought his extremely solid defensive game to the team’s bottom six.
He’s been in and out of the lineup the past few weeks, though, missing time earlier in the month with another unknown injury and some time in December while on COVID protocol. The Latvian centerman has seven goals and 12 points in 34 games.
Getting Dahlin and Olofsson back in the fold is a large factor for the Sabres and head coach Don Granato. Dahlin, the 2018 first-overall pick, is playing some of the best hockey of his career right now and has 28 points through 42 games. Olofsson is a valuable depth piece who can put pucks in the net and is an important piece with Tage Thompson already out of the lineup.
Sabres’ Aaron Dell Clears Waivers
Jan. 30: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Dell cleared waivers today. He will continue to serve his three-game suspension as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
Jan. 29: The Sabres appear to be set to get Craig Anderson back tonight, lessening their need for goaltending depth. Accordingly, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve placed netminder Aaron Dell on waivers.
Dell was in the news earlier this week when he received a three-game suspension for his hit on Senators winger Drake Batherson. Two games still remain on that ban, one of which is tonight in Arizona. As long as he’s on the active roster and not moved to non-roster status, he still should get credit for serving the second game of his suspension even while being on waivers.
It has been a rough season on the ice as well for the 32-year-old as he has struggled mightily in his NHL action so far. He has played in a dozen games for Buffalo in 2021-22, recording just one victory while posting a 4.03 GAA and a save percentage of just .893. Those numbers are actually better than what he put up in seven games with New Jersey last season which is what led to him settling for a two-way deal worth the league minimum of $750K in the NHL and $350K in the minors.
Despite all that, there is still a chance that Dell is claimed. Several teams are dealing with injuries between the pipes at the moment and could view the veteran as a short-term stopgap to allow a prospect currently on recall to return to the minors. If that doesn’t happen, Buffalo could opt to immediately send Dell down or keep him on their roster through the weekend to clear the remainder of his suspension and then send him to the taxi squad or AHL Rochester.
Buffalo Sabres Announce Numerous Roster Moves
Everything is happening all at once in Buffalo. The team has been waiting to re-activate several injured players for more than a week now, yet at the same time they have been waiting all day for COVID-19 test results after multiple initial positives earlier. Just ahead of their game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes, the team has now announced it all in a flurry of moves that will re-shape the roster, at least for the time being.
Though less anticipated, the COVID Protocol absences are unfortunately the bigger part of the Sabres’ roster news. The team has placed defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and forwards Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Asplund in the protocol. Assistant coach Matt Ellis was also named as one of five additional members of Buffalo’s traveling party who will be sidelined due to COVID. These three players in particular are obviously a major loss for the Sabres. Dahlin, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, has taken that next step in his development this season and has been Buffalo’s best player. He leads the team with 28 points and 23:51 average time on ice and ranks in the top five in goals, hits, blocked shots, and takeaways. No loss could impact the Sabres’ more. With that said, Olofsson and Asplund are also major absences. The former is having a down year, but still in the top five in scoring and plays a critical role on the power play. The latter has already surpassed his career marks in games played and points and is one of the better possession players on the team. For the Sabres’ sake, hopefully the trio are only out short-term as they play such meaningful roles and the club is already missing a laundry list of players due to injury.
That list has shrunk today though. With no options left in net following Michael Houser landing on COVID Protocol yesterday, Aaron Dell suspended and waived, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban on injured reserve, the Sabres finally activated Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski just in time for their game. Anderson had been out since early November with an upper-body injury but has been working his way back in recent weeks, while Tokarski has been out since early December. Anderson was playing very well prior to his injury, especially for someone who was set to retire this past off-season, so the Sabres will be hoping he can return to form. They also have regained the services of veteran forward Kyle Okposo, who’s having a resurgent season. Okposo has missed the past week, but is still fourth in scoring with 23 points in 37 games. The team can certainly use that offense with Olofsson and Asplund sidelined.
Additionally, Buffalo has also recalled defenseman Casey Fitzgerald from the taxi squad. Fitzgerald has played in four NHL games this year, with one point on the scoreboard, but has nine points in 27 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans.
Michael Houser Placed In COVID Protocol
The Buffalo Sabres may not have a healthy goaltender to dress tomorrow night. Michael Houser has been added to the COVID protocol, the latest in a series of unfortunate events to the organization’s netminders.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban are dealing with long-term injuries. Aaron Dell is suspended and won’t be available until after the All-Star break. Houser is now in the protocol and will be unavailable, meaning the team only has Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski, both coming off injuries themselves, as options this weekend. Anderson hasn’t played in a game since the beginning of November, while Tokarski’s last appearance was November 29. Both are practicing at the moment but it is unclear if they will be cleared to play.
If one of those two is able to play, they will likely have to be the starter against the Arizona Coyotes tomorrow night. Otherwise, the team would have to use an emergency backup as–well, not the backup–or sign someone like Mat Robson to an NHL contract. Robson has played in just seven games for the Rochester Americans, spending most of his season in the ECHL. His current minor league backup, Charles Williams, was signed to a professional tryout just two weeks ago and has hardly any experience at the AHL level.
Even accepting that the team didn’t build a lot of NHL-quality depth at the position before the season began, it’s hard to fathom how so many netminders could be unavailable all at once. Even worse, the team isn’t even at home for the next three games, meaning whoever they bring as an emergency backup will have to travel with them to Arizona, Colorado, and Vegas.
Aaron Dell Suspended Three Games
It’s not often that you see a goaltender receive a suspension for interference, but that’s exactly what Buffalo Sabres netminder Aaron Dell has received today. The Department of Player Safety has suspended Dell three games for his hit on Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson last night. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that this is a body check, not merely a collision. Dell is looking up ice and is aware of the path that Batherson is taking in order to avoid contact with Dell. Dell is the player that initiates the contact on this play. This is also not a mere pick play or a last second brace for impact in which a player impedes the path of his opponent without substantial force. Dell takes an active step into Batherson, shifting his weight and delivering a hit to an unsuspecting player that causes a dangerous fall into the boards.
Finally, it is also important to note that Batherson does not have the puck and is therefore not eligible to be checked on this play in any manner.
Unfortunately, Batherson suffered a serious ankle injury and is expected to be out long-term. That will cost him a chance to continue his strong season, and an opportunity to play in his first All-Star Game as Ottawa’s representative. He’ll be replaced by Brady Tkachuk at the event.
Dell meanwhile was not issued a penalty by the on-ice officials and did not have a history of supplementary discipline, despite previous instances of a similar nature. This suspension will be on his record though and taken into account for any future punishment from the DoPS.
The Sabres are now down to a single healthy goaltender, though Craig Anderson is nearing a return from injury and could be ready to go this weekend. Still, it will likely be Michael Houser in net for the team when they take on the Arizona Coyotes Saturday night.
Aaron Dell To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Buffalo Sabres will likely be down another goaltender for the next few days, as Aaron Dell has a hearing scheduled today with the Department of Player Safety. The hearing will be regarding Dell’s interference on Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson last night, a play that led to a serious injury.
Late in the first period, after Dell had let in three goals on 11 shots, he delivered a shoulder check to Batherson as the Ottawa forward chased a Buffalo defenseman around the net. It ended up sending him awkwardly into the boards, where he suffered a high ankle sprain. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the team will have a better idea of the recovery timeline once the swelling goes down, but “one way or another it’s long-term.” There was no penalty called on the play.
Batherson has been Ottawa’s best offensive player this season, recording 13 goals and 34 points in 31 games. The 23-year-old uses his speed, size, and skill to routinely hunt down pucks in the offensive zone with a relentless forecheck, before driving them to the net or creating an opportunity for a teammate. One of the most important players in Ottawa, he now faces a long recovery.
Dell meanwhile has been brutal for the Sabres, posting a .893 save percentage in 12 appearances, losing nine of them. The veteran netminder was not expected to be pressed into service, but Buffalo has suffered injuries to as many as four of their goaltenders at the same time. Should he face a suspension, there will be even less depth at the position for Buffalo.
Kyle Okposo Close To Returning
- Sabres winger Kyle Okposo has resumed skating but is not with the team on their road trip which begins tonight in Ottawa, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The veteran is working his way back from an upper-body injury and has actually been one of Buffalo’s better offensive players this season as he ranks fourth in team scoring with 23 points in 37 games.
Buffalo "Excited" About Signing Power After Season
The Buffalo Sabres are going to be watching the upcoming Beijing Olympics very closely, as Owen Power helps lead Canada in the men’s hockey tournament before ever playing a professional game. The first-overall pick from 2021 went back to the University of Michigan to try for a national championship but could be in a Sabres sweater before the season is over should he sign his entry-level contract after his NCAA season ends.
Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams has already started those conversations with Power and his adviser Pat Brisson and tells Tom Gulitti of NHL.com that he’s “excited” about the idea of the big defenseman joining the Sabres. There’s little doubt that he could have played in the NHL this season, given his performance at the World Championship last summer–Power started as the seventh defenseman but was on the first pairing by the end of the tournament–but he returned to Michigan along with several other top picks after the program was forced out of last year’s NCAA tournament due to COVID restrictions.