:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57007723/98515196.0.jpg)
The Buffalo Sabres have announced their opening day roster of 23 players, with two players starting the season on injured reserve - Seth Griffith and Matt Tennyson will stay up with Buffalo while Evan Rodrigues and Justin Falk are out.
#Sabres Opening Roster pic.twitter.com/Ue8z6NLz4W
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 3, 2017
During the Sabres press conference yesterday to announce Jack Eichel’s contract extension, the General Manager Jason Botterill said the team would not name a captain to begin the season as discussions are still continuing.
The Sabres find themselves blessed with a few leaders on the roster in Josh Gorges, Jason Pominville, Ryan O’Reilly and of course Eichel, so it’s likely we’ll see that announced during the season opener or soon after.
Buffalo Sabres 2017-18 Opening Day Roster
| Player | Position | Status | Age | Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Status | Age | Cap Hit |
| Ryan O'Reilly | C, LW, RW | NHL | 26 | $7,500,000 |
| Kyle Okposo | RW | NHL | 29 | $6,000,000 |
| Jason Pominville | RW | NHL | 34 | $5,600,000 |
| Evander Kane | LW | NHL | 26 | $5,250,000 |
| Matt Moulson | LW | NHL | 33 | $5,000,000 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C, LW | NHL | 23 | $1,600,000 |
| Johan Larsson | C, LW | NHL | 25 | $1,475,000 |
| Benoit Pouliot | LW | NHL | 31 | $1,150,000 |
| Jordan Nolan | C, LW, RW | NHL | 28 | $950,000 |
| Jack Eichel | C | NHL | 20 | $925,000 |
| Sam Reinhart | RW, C | NHL | 21 | $894,167 |
| Jacob Josefson | C, LW | NHL | 26 | $700,000 |
| Seth Griffith | RW, C | NHL | 24 | $650,000 |
| Rasmus Ristolainen | RD | NHL | 22 | $5,400,000 |
| Zach Bogosian | RD | NHL | 27 | $5,142,857 |
| Marco Scandella | LD | NHL | 27 | $4,000,000 |
| Josh Gorges | LD | NHL | 33 | $3,900,000 |
| Nathan Beaulieu | LD | NHL | 24 | $2,400,000 |
| Jake McCabe | LD | NHL | 23 | $1,600,000 |
| Victor Antipin | LD | NHL | 24 | $925,000 |
| Matt Tennyson | RD | NHL | 27 | $650,000 |
| Robin Lehner | G | NHL | 26 | $4,000,000 |
| Chad Johnson | G | NHL | 31 | $2,500,000 |
| Evan Rodrigues | C | IR | 24 | $213,056 |
| Justin Falk | LD | IR | 28 | $650,000 |
The numbers are all courtesy of CapFriendly, who have Buffalo at a projected cap hit of $69,116,747, which leaves GMBot $5,883,253 of room under the $75m cap.
What stands out to you in these numbers? Do the Sabres have enough cap space to be players at the trade deadline, and who will they have to move to ensure that they can?