Dahlin Injury, Intense Practice Highlight Day 1 of Sabres Training Camp

The Buffalo Sabres endured their first practice under Lindy Ruff today. Everyone except Rasmus Dahlin, that is, as he was absent for most of the skate with an injury. The star defenseman left the ice minutes into the first session, which was comprised of the 14 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goalies highest on the Sabres’ depth chart.

It’s safe to say that the first group that skated is getting tickets to Buffalo’s flight overseas. The list of forwards included are:

• Tage Thompson
• Alex Tuch
• JJ Peterka
• Dylan Cozens
• Jack Quinn
• Zach Benson
• Jiri Kulich
• Jason Zucker
• Ryan McLeod
• Jordan Greenway
• Beck Malenstyn
• Sam Lafferty
• Peyton Krebs
• Nicolas Aube-Kubel

The eight defensemen on the ice were:

• Rasmus Dahlin (left the ice early)
• Owen Power
• Bowen Byram
• Henri Jokiharju
• Mattias Samuelsson
• Connor Clifton
• Jacob Bryson
• Dennis Gilbert

One of the more notable absences from the first skate was veteran netminder James Reimer. The two goalies on the ice were:

• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
• Devon Levi

Dahlin Injury Update

Rasmus Dahlin disappeared from practice just as the media finished roll call. Head coach Lindy Ruff later described the Dahlin injury as “mid-range” when pressed on whether it was upper or lower body. Ruff provided no further update, although the levity of the conversation implied it wasn’t too serious.

Dahlin was in a blue jersey along with Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and Connor Clifton on the blueline. Bowen Byram, Henri Jokiharju, Jacob Bryson, and Dennis Gilbert wore white jerseys.

This would imply Ruff’s initial thoughts on the defense pairs would be as follows:

Owen Power – Rasmus Dahlin

Bowen Byram – Henri Jokiharju

Mattias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton

Jacob Bryson – Dennis Gilbert

As long as Dahlin is fine, a Power and Dahlin top pair would be among the most talented in the NHL. Byram and Jokiharju received a little run together last season with poor results. It will be interesting to see the effect Ruff’s new system and mentality have on the defense.

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Intense Practice

As anticipated, the pace of practice was noticeably ramped up from last season as the team transitioned from Don Granato to Ruff. The first half of the practice was much more intense than in years past, with backchecking and zone exit drills.

“About halfway through…if you look up at the clock about 25 minutes in, you’re like, ‘this is gonna be a long day’,” Tuch said after practice. “And then once you get that second half and you’re starting to feel it, everyone’s starting to move…guys were competing a little bit more.”

The intensity is expected to be a common theme throughout training camp, especially since the main group is heading to Europe in six days.

“There is a greater need to get this group together really quick,” Ruff said. “[What] I wanted to see was NHL against NHL.”

Jiri Kulich and Forward Lines

Besides Reimer’s absence from the initial group, the surprise of the first session was Jiri Kulich skating in a blue jersey with the top six. Aside from the fact that Buffalo’s first game of the season is in his native Czechia, Kulich is poised to have an opportunity to earn a full-time role with the Sabres.

His biggest competition is Zach Benson, as the two rotated mostly with Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn on the second line. The advantage Kulich possesses is his shot on the powerplay, and once the team works on special teams he’ll have a chance to shine.

The forward lines appear to be as follows:

JJ Peterka – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

Zach Benson / Jiri Kulich – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn

Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jordan Greenway

Beck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty / Peyton Krebs – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

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Luukkonen and Levi

With Reimer practicing in the second session with the presumed AHLers, Devon Levi has a strong upper hand on the backup job. His strong performances in Buffalo and Rochester in the second half of last season helped position him for the role, and his projections suggest he’s ready to take on the responsibility.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started 51 games for the Sabres in 2023-2024, but Ruff wasn’t ready to commit the bulk of the shares to the Finnish netminder.

“I think the answer will become ‘What happens during the play?’, how they play, ‘How do you feel still playing?’, how Devon plays when he steps in,” Ruff said. “For the most part, we’ve become a two-goaltender league and for Devon’s development, obviously, he needs to play.”

Other News and Notes

Physicality

The first bodycheck of camp came from freshly signed Peyton Krebs, who caught Tage Thompson by surprise along the boards. Thompson was immediately hunched over and drifted toward the Sabres’ bench, clearly miffed by the hit.

Krebs with the first hit in practice and Tage is feeling it. Laboring by the bench.

— Jason Moser 🏒 (@PuckLuckJay) September 18, 2024

Buffalo’s top center returned to drills immediately but remained hunched over between reps. Whether he was trying to regain his breath from a hard practice or bothered by the injury, he had no qualms about it afterword.

“Sometimes it gets a little over the top, but I don’t think that was,” Thompson said. “I think it’s fine. You need the physicality.”

News: Krebs Signs Deal Before Training Camp

Training Camp Groups

Day one of training camp gave us a lot of hints about what to expect for the regular season. It’s clear that Ryan Johnson, who played 41 games for the Sabres last season, will have to fight his way back onto Buffalo’s roster by playing well in Rochester. He practiced with the second group.

Reimer and Felix Sandstrom, the organization’s new depth goalies, also practiced with the second group. The second skate also gave us our first looks this season at AHL vets Mason Jobst, Lukas Rousek, Brett Murray, and Josh Dunne.

Former first-round pick Noah Ostlund was centering a line in the second session, while other top prospects Isak Rosen, Konsta Helenius, and Anton Wahlberg are skating with the third group.

We’ll have an update on the Dahlin injury and more from training camp throughout the week. Follow Jason Moser on X @PuckLuckJay for more updates.