The Buffalo Sabres finalized their opening night right this afternoon with a few final roster moves. They assigned Alex Nylander, Brendan Guhle and Brandon Hickey to the Rochester Americans of the AHL.
Hickey was recovering from an injury and wasn’t a surprise to be sent down.
Guhle wasn’t that impressive throughout the preseason and looks like he could use some more time in minors. The surprising aspect is that it appears Matt Tennyson will occupy one of the final spots on the roster to start the season.
Nylander is a little bit surprising when you look at how well he played during the preseason. He led the team in points with five (one goal and four assists). Some more time in the AHL won’t be bad for his development, but it’s hard to argue he didn’t earn the opportunity to at least start the season with the Sabres.
The Sabres will head into Thursday’s game with a roster consisting of 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders.