Buffalo Sabres Recall Jacob Bryson
The Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Jacob Bryson. He fills the open roster spot left when Kale Clague was sent down from his emergency loan. Bryson has been in the minors since December 19th, appearing in nine games with the Rochester Americans and recording one assist. Bryson was on injured reserve earlier in the season with a lower-body injury.
This is the first time that Bryson has played AHL games since the 2020-21 season when he played in five games with Rochester and recorded three assists. In fact, Bryson has largely avoided the minor leagues since making his pro debut in 2019-20. He’s only totaled 75 AHL games, scoring 31 points, compared to his 173 career games in the NHL. Bryson’s most eventful NHL season came in 2021-22 when he netted a career-high 10 points in a career-high 73 games. He’s come close to breaking his scoring high a number of times, netting nine points in 38 games in his rookie 2020-21 season and nine points in 59 games last year. The Sabres originally drafted Bryson in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft, taking him in the same round that saw Michael Anderson, Emil Bemstrom, and Drake Batherson get selected.
Bryson rejoins a Sabres team that’s slowly finding their groove, setting a 4-2-0 record since the calendar turned over to 2024. He’ll serve as a depth option for Mattias Samuelsson, who is currently in concussion protocol and designated as day-to-day.
Sabres Place Jacob Bryson On Waivers
12/19: Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Bryson has cleared waivers, and may now be freely optioned to Rochester.
12/18: The Sabres placed defenseman Jacob Bryson on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Rochester on Monday, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. The move is likely a precursor to the Sabres activating winger Jack Quinn off injured reserve before tomorrow’s game against the Blue Jackets, as head coach Don Granato said earlier today he’s an option to make his season debut after rehabbing an offseason Achilles injury (via Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald).
Bryson, 26, has remained on the Sabres’ roster all season but has been a healthy scratch for all but three games, last suiting up on November 4 against the Maple Leafs. He’s since been a healthy scratch in 20 straight games.
With a significant $1.85MM cap hit, there are unlikely to be any takers for Bryson, so he should clear without issue and head to Rochester tomorrow. He’s in the final season of a two-year, $3.7MM extension signed in 2022 and is eligible for salary arbitration next summer. However, it seems unlikely at this stage that the Sabres will opt to retain his rights – with a $1.9MM qualifying offer due, Bryson is an obvious non-tender candidate and could find himself on the open market as a UFA next summer.
When in the lineup, Bryson has barely played, sometimes dressing as a seventh defenseman. He averaged just 9:26 through his three appearances with the Sabres and was held off the scoresheet, posting a -1 rating.
It’s been difficult for Bryson since his extension platform year of 2021-22 when he played a career-high 73 games and averaged significant minutes for the Sabres while being one of their better possession-controlling defenders. His defensive game has lapsed significantly over the past two seasons, however, and the 2017 fourth-round pick now finds himself on the fringes of an NHL job.
If he clears waivers and heads to Rochester, it will be Bryson’s first AHL games since the 2020-21 campaign.
East Notes: Hurricanes, Sabres, DeSmith
The Carolina Hurricanes aren’t going anywhere – they’ve signed a 20-year lease extension agreement with the Centennial Authority and Gale Force Sports and Entertainment, according to a team release, keeping them at PNC Arena through the 2043-44 season. As part of the agreement, PNC Arena is poised for a substantial facelift, with plans to create a sports and entertainment district encircling the arena, which is rather secluded from downtown Raleigh as things stand. “This development will transform PNC Arena into a year-round destination for residents while also improving the event day experience for Hurricanes fans, NC State fans, and concertgoers alike,” said Hurricanes majority owner Tom Dundon.
It’s a significant investment coming from the local government, with a combined $300MM million from the City of Raleigh and Wake County. There’s also a fair amount of private money funneled into developing the land around the arena, which will include office space, living space, a hotel, and a concert venue – a minimum of $200MM investment within five years, $400MM within ten years, and $800MM within 20 years.
Elsewhere from the Eastern Conference today:
- Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News tabs Jacob Bryson as the likeliest odd man out when it comes to their crowded defense during camp. Noting that his $1.85MM cap hit isn’t fully buriable in the minors, a trade is more likely for the 25-year-old than placing him on waivers and assigning him to AHL Rochester. Bryson signed a two-year, $3.7MM extension with Buffalo before last season after he played in a career-high 73 games, posting some solid two-way numbers in a bottom-pairing role. His momentum evaporated this season, however, and he was a defensive liability when given any increase in minutes, posting a career-low relative Corsi for at even strength of -2.3%.
- After flipping one asset acquired in the Erik Karlsson trade earlier today, the Montreal Canadiens are still faced with a goalie crunch caused by taking on netminder Casey DeSmith from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Speaking with reporters today, GM Kent Hughes said he’s talked to DeSmith and asked him “to be patient.” Hughes is undecided on whether to keep DeSmith or trade someone else (Jake Allen or Samuel Montembeault) off the roster to make room for the 32-year-old, who started a career-high 33 games for the Penguins last season.
Looking At The Buffalo Sabres’ Defense Crunch
Even though the Buffalo Sabres signed some much-needed defensemen as the off-season started, they now face a problem: having too many of them. With the signing of Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton, they now have nine defensemen on their active roster and twenty-four players.
Those two signings make sense, as the team has struggled with their defense depth for some time. However, Don Granato and their coaching staff have a few hard decisions to make as the new season approaches. There are a few reasonable options to send down to the AHL or trade entirely. One of them is an obvious choice, as The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski commented on earlier in the week.
Jacob Bryson played 59 games last year, most of those paired with Ilya Lyubushkin. He missed six games with injuries and was healthy scratched for 17 throughout the year. His stats don’t make his case any better. In the games he did play, his advanced metrics are not the best. In addition to being scratched a lot, Bryson averaged less than 15 minutes a night – weak minutes, even for a bottom-pairing defender. On a team that needed their defense to step up, Granato didn’t seem too impressed with the 25-year-old, and neither were most Sabres fans.
When compared with his fellow defensemen, it becomes clear that Bryson is the best option to leave out. Mattias Samuelsson will be healthy to start the year, Clifton and Johnson were signed to help in the back end, Power and Dahlin are set to take another step forward, and there isn’t much space to be average among a quickly growing Sabres core.
Another player that the Sabres could consider sending down or trying to trade is Henri Jokiharju, who also didn’t have a great season in 2022-23. His advanced metrics were slightly better than Bryson’s, and Granato played him in the top four with Power for the majority of the season. The pairing didn’t pass with flying colors, though, and it’s likely a driving reason why they signed Clifton. With that said, Jokiharju did play over 20 minutes a night – something Clifton hasn’t done to date with the Bruins, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to replicate his strong play from last year with increased responsibility.
The team could also look to waive Riley Stillman, who has one year left at a $1.35MM cap hit and is, from a financial standpoint, the easiest player to cut ties with. His cap hit is just $200K over the buriable threshold, which is what he would cost against the cap if assigned to the minors. The team parted with a quality prospect in Josh Bloom to acquire him from the Vancouver Canucks last season, however, and he did hold his own defensively in Buffalo’s environment. He does carry a rather limited offensive upside, but he may be a more ideal seventh (or eighth) defenseman candidate than others mentioned in this piece.
With last season’s arrival of Owen Power and the signing of Lyubushkin, Bryson needed to impress to keep his job, and he failed to do so. Now, the team has signed substitutes for him, and he has become replaceable. Likely, the stars need to align for him to get a spot on the team when the new season starts.
East Notes: Sabres, Allison, Pridham
Defensemen Jacob Bryson and Ilya Lyubushkin could be in play on the trade market ahead of the regular season, the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski said today. In Bryson’s case, he could find his way off the team via waivers as well, as there will be a significant roster crunch in Buffalo with nine defensemen signed to one-way contracts. The team added Connor Clifton and Stanley Cup champion Erik Johnson via free agency to bolster their back end, pushing anyone not named Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power, or Rasmus Dahlin two spots down the team’s depth chart.
Both Bryson and Lyubushkin have just one year of term left on their contracts, making them easily movable if Buffalo so chooses. However, both of their cap hits aren’t the best value – Bryson is a seventh defender on a contending team at best, making $1.85MM against the cap, while Lyubushkin is a capable shutdown defender but limited otherwise and costs $2.75MM. It’s hard to envision a contending team trading for those pieces at those salaries, but the Sabres could find a willing trade partner among teams like the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks, who may want to plug some short-term holes in their blueline.
More from around the Eastern Conference:
- Winger Wade Allison is likely facing a make-or-break year with the Philadelphia Flyers, writes Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic. While he has potential as an intriguing young power forward, the team has a number of higher-upside, younger wingers fighting for spots, such as Bobby Brink, Olle Lycksell, and Tyson Foerster. Allison did score nine goals in 60 games last season but dealt with a handful of injuries, something that’s becoming a worrying track record for a player who sustained a significant ACL tear to end his college career and missed most of the previous two seasons before last. If he can’t improve on his production or force his way onto some special teams unit, he’s a potential non-tender candidate next offseason as a pending restricted free agent.
- Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager Brandon Pridham is likely sticking with the organization despite rumors to the contrary, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said while appearing on NHL Network yesterday. Friedman connected Pridham’s preference to stay in Toronto to new Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas’ wait on filling the GM position in Pittsburgh full-time, saying Pridham was his top candidate for the Penguins’ GM role. Instead, Pridham informed the Leafs earlier this summer that he’d prefer to stay with the organization instead of following his former boss to Pittsburgh. The Penguins announced yesterday that Dubas will serve as the team’s full-time GM in addition to his president of hockey operations role.
Afternoon Notes: Schedule, Stone, Sabres, Team Canada Captains, Hershey Bears
More hockey? You’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who wouldn’t want it. Earlier this week, there had been some discussions about the NHL potentially expanding the season back to an 84 game schedule for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign. Last night on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman expanded on those rumors with an idea of what that schedule might look like, and how the league could get there.
In effect, the schedule would be expanded an additional two games to promote intra-division rivalries, such as the one between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers or the one between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, both of which have seen their head-to-head matchups drop off in recent years. As Friedman details, the schedule would consist of four games against each of the other teams within the division, three games each against each team in the opposing division, and two against each team in the opposite conference. To balance things out, each team’s slate of preseasons games could be cut down. It doesn’t appear that any change is imminent, however Friedman adds that there is a willingness to discuss the change between the league and the NHLPA, however there hasn’t been much dialogue on the subject recently.
- Things didn’t look good for Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone last night when he went down in obvious pain during the third period of the team’s game against the New York Islanders. The winger struggled to get off the ice with the assistance of his teammates, but surprisingly was able to come back and join them in the final moments of the game. Unsurprisingly, after the game, Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy was asked about the status of his star forward, telling The Athletic’s Jesse Granger that the hope is Stone’s injury is “just a stinger,” but he wouldn’t know much more until today. Cassidy added that Stone was not 100% when he rejoined the team late in the game. So far, no additional information has come out about Stone’s status. Vegas next plays at home on Monday against the Sabres.
- Yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres were able to get forward Kyle Okposo back from injury and Jeff Skinner back from suspension, but were without defensemen Owen Power, Jacob Bryson, and Ilya Lyubushkin. The team didn’t have much information on Power or Bryson, and the same holds true today, however according to The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, Ilya Lyubushkin is set to return tomorrow against Vegas. Noticeably absent from the ice this morning were defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, but as Harrington adds, both were absent simply for rest purposes.
- With the World Junior Championship just eight days away, Hockey Canada announced its leadership group for this year’s World Juniors team. Captaining the group will be Seattle Kraken forward and fourth-overall pick in 2022, Shane Wright. Assisting him will be Arizona Coyotes forward Dylan Guenther, Dallas Stars draft pick and current Kamloops Blazers forward Logan Stankoven, Anaheim Ducks draft pick and Quebec Remparts forward Nathan Gaucher, as well as Chicago Blackhawks draft pick and Mississauga Steelheads defenseman Ethan Del Mastro. Canada will kick things off against Czechia on December 26th.
- Many don’t necessarily think about when an NHL team chooses to recall a player from their affiliate, it could set off a chain reaction of needs within their system, and that’s just what happened with the Washington Capitals and their goaltenders. When Darcy Kuemper went down a couple of weeks ago, the team recalled Hunter Shepard, which Hershey was able to cope with by recalling Clay Stevenson from the ECHL. No problem. But, when Washington also recalled Zachary Fucale yesterday in the wake of Shepard’s upper-body injury, Hershey was forced to sign an emergency back-up to a PTO for their game last night. Today, the Bears were able to smooth things out in net prior to their game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this afternoon, bringing up netminder Tyler Wall from the South Carolina Stingrays, Hershey and Washington’s ECHL affiliate. In a corresponding move, defenseman Martin Has has been sent to South Carolina. While this is a relatively minor move, it does give context for the transactions NHL teams make that sometimes seem to be done just for the sake of doing them.
Injury Notes: Sabres, Canucks Illnesses, Aho, Capitals
Things haven’t necessarily gone as planned for the Buffalo Sabres to start this season, the team coming into tonight with a 14-14-2 record thus far, tying them with the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens for the bottom three positions in the Atlantic Division. There are some bright spots, such as the further breakouts of Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, or that record being partially influencex by an eight game losing streak that came with zero points, and there are reasons for the struggles, such as poor goaltending and a myriad of injury issues. Those injury issues continue to persist, but with injuries does come injury updates and the Sabres were able to provide a few of those today.
Forwards Jeff Skinner, who was suspended, and Kyle Okposo, will both rejoin the lineup tonight, reports Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. Okposo had only missed one game, Thursday at the Colorado Avalanche, but has dealt with his share of injuries this season. Harrington adds that defensemen Owen Power and Jacob Bryson, who both missed Thursday’s game will not play this evening. Fortunately for Power, he’s only considered day-to-day, however Bryson has been shutdown for the remainder of the road trip and will be re-evaluated when the team gets home. Their road trip concludes Monday in Vegas. Lastly, per Harrington, defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, who is currently on IR and hasn’t played since November 28th, is still not ready to return.
- The Vancouver Canucks could be down a pair of star forwards this evening, with both Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser under the weather according to Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor, who spoke with head coach Bruce Boudreau. Boeser also missed Wednesday’s game with an illness and while Pettersson did not, recall that he had actually been sent home from practice on Sunday after showing up sick. Even with the turmoil surrounding Boeser and the likelihood that he ends up being dealt this season, Vancouver will need both players in the lineup with the hope that they can produce and get their season back on track going forward. Boeser has 16 points in 22 games thus far, while Pettersson appears to be taking the next step with 34 points in 29 games to date.
- Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho, who has been out of the lineup since December 6th with a lower-body injury will not play tonight against the Dallas Stars or tomorrow afternoon against the Pittsburgh Penguins, says Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff, who spoke with head coach Rod Brind’Amour prior to tonight’s game. On a positive note, Brind’Amour added that Aho was on the ice earlier today, indicating a return could be sooner rather than later. Interestingly, Carolina has done just fine without Aho in the lineup, going 3-0-0 in the process, including back-to-back shutouts of the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings. Obviously, the team would still prefer to get one of the NHL’s very best centers back into their lineup as soon as possible, especially considering schedule doesn’t get any easier after tomorrow, facing the New Jersey Devils and the Penguins again this week.
- Washington Capitals forward Nic Dowd will miss tonight’s game with a lower-body injury, reports The Athletics Tarik El-Bashir. It’s unclear what exactly is ailing Dowd or how serious the injury might be, however he did leave Thursday’s game a touch early, playing just 9:39 in the game, down from his season average of 13:03. Also of note, goaltender Hunter Shepard has been ruled out of tonight’s game with an upper-body injury, which would explain the team’s earlier recall of netminder Zachary Fucale.
Jacob Bryson Returns To Buffalo Sabres Lineup
A day after announcing that the defenseman could be back in the lineup as soon as today, the Buffalo Sabres confirmed that Jacob Bryson will return to the lineup tonight when the team hosts the San Jose Sharks. Bryson will take the place of Lawrence Pilut on the blueline this evening. Bryson has missed the previous four Sabres games with a lower-body injury, last playing on November 23rd.
It’s no secret that Bryson has struggled so far this season, tallying six points in 20 games with his ice time decreasing steadily throughout, down overall from last season, and a -13 rating telling a good deal of the story. Still, Buffalo has had to deal with a bevy of injuries this season, primarily on the blueline, so getting an NHL defenseman back healthy is good news no matter who it is.
Even with Bryson’s struggles this season, the 25-year-old has shown the ability to be a capable NHL defenseman in the past and a closer look at his numbers does show positive signs that his game hasn’t completely gone away. For one, although his possession metrics aren’t superb, a 45.3 Corsi and 44.2 Fenwick, it is worth noting that 56.2% of his starts have been in the defensive zone.
Additionally, Bryson’s 10 takeaways compared to his three giveaways mark the first time in his career he’s taken the puck away more than he’s given it. Both of those are also on track to be career bests, at least on a per-game basis. The defenseman has also blocked 31 shots already in just 20 games, another number on track to be a career best.
It’s no secret there’s work to be done for Bryson, but coming back after a short time away could help to act as a reset, even if just on a mental basis, for a player Buffalo might be able to use as a part of it’s future plans on what is fast becoming an elite blueline.
Snapshots: Sabres, Boeser, Schedule
The Sabres could have defenseman Jacob Bryson back in the lineup tomorrow against San Jose, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). The 25-year-old has missed the last couple of weeks with a lower-body injury sustained against St. Louis. Bryson is in his second full NHL campaign and has a goal and five assists in 20 games this season while averaging a little under 18 minutes a night.
Meanwhile, Lysowski also tweets that winger Vinnie Hinostroza left practice early today as he’s battling what’s believed to be a minor injury. The veteran missed Thursday’s game against Colorado with the injury as well. Hinostroza was a capable depth scorer last season with 13 goals in 62 games but is still looking for his first of the season. However, with eight assists in 15 games, Hinostroza is averaging the best assist-per-game rate of his eight-year career.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- It has been a bit of a tough season so far for Canucks winger Brock Boeser and there’s more tough news coming for him as head coach Bruce Boudreau confirmed to Sportsnet 650’s Brendan Batchelor (Twitter link) that winger Brock Boeser will be a healthy scratch tonight against Arizona. Boeser has just three goals so far through his first 18 games (although he does have 11 assists) and Boudreau is calling this decision “tough love”. It sounds like this is a short-term decision but Vancouver will certainly need more from Boeser if they want to get back into the playoff picture; they sit five points out of the last Wild Card heading into today’s action.
- Last month, the Predators had a pair of their games postponed due to a water main break in their arena. Today, the league announced the makeup dates for those contests. Nashville will host the Blue Jackets on January 17th while they will host the Avalanche on April 14th, one day after the regular season is set to conclude.
Injury Notes: Bryson, Lafferty, Chinakhov
The Buffalo Sabres updated a few injuries today, with some good and bad news coming along. Kyle Okposo will be back in the lineup tonight, and Rasmus Asplund is only out day-to-day. Unfortunately, Jacob Bryson is on the shelf on a week-to-week basis after leaving Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury.
Some Sabres fans may argue it’s no big loss, given how Bryson has played of late – his usage has been steadily declining – but losing defensive depth is never a positive. The 25-year-old was a solid piece for Buffalo last season and despite recent challenges, is still an important player to keep in the mix. The Sabres will take on the New Jersey Devils tonight, a tough task (especially after the chaos that surrounded New Jersey’s last game).
- Sam Lafferty will be out for a few games, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. The Chicago Blackhawks forward is dealing with an upper-body injury, leaving the door open for Boris Katchouk to re-enter the lineup. Lafferty, 27, has three goals and seven points in 19 games this season after signing a two-year, $2.3MM contract extension in the spring.
- After missing one game, Yegor Chinakhov is getting back into the Columbus Blue Jackets lineup where he can continue his solid start to the year. The 21-year-old has ten points in 18 games, good for third on the Blue Jackets behind only Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner. To make room for him, Liam Foudy will come out. Chinakhov will skate with Cole Sillinger and recent recall Carson Meyer, who is in for Emil Bemstrom.