Sabres Scoop: Peterka, Jonsson-Fjallby, Roster Cuts & More

Welcome to another edition of Sabres Scoop, The Hockey Writers’ weekly column discussing all things Buffalo Sabres. This week, ‘Sabres Scoop’ co-hosts Jordan Jacklin and Brandon Seltenrich sound off on the conclusion of the preseason, the start of the regular season, and some of the other biggest storylines, news, and rumors about the organization.

The 2021-22 NHL regular season is just a few days away, and all 32 NHL teams are finalizing their rosters as they prepare to drop the puck on a new season. For the Buffalo Sabres, while the outlook on where they are likely to finish in the standings is bleak, it doesn’t mean there will be a lack of exciting and intriguing storylines to keep an eye on throughout the season. General manager (GM) Kevyn Adams has been busy re-assigning players to the Sabres’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Rochester Americans, the Sabres have had trouble selling tickets, players have been picked up and placed on waivers, and more. Check out our thoughts on these topics below, and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Sabres Re-Assign Several Players To AHL

The Sabres made a number of interesting transactions last week, including sending some intriguing players down to the AHL. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Oskari Laaksonen, Brett Murray, and Jack Quinn are just some of the players who had impressive training camps and preseasons, but didn’t quite make the cut. While the roster is finalized, some deserving players will miss being on the opening-night roster.

Jordan: I think most of these cuts made sense. Some might argue as to why Jack Quinn didn’t stay since he wasn’t necessarily bad, but I think you could tell by his 5v5 play that he wasn’t really ready, and I think it will be better for him to develop in the AHL. Guys like Murray definitely impressed, and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get any time this year in a call-up. Luukkonen you’d have to think makes his way back up, since Dustin Tokarski and Craig Anderson make for a messy goaltending situation right now.

Brandon: The player who really surprised me the most was Brett Murray. I don’t know if this is a guy who has gone under the radar, but to me he certainly hasn’t. From the Prospects Challenge and on, he was scoring, driving plays, and while he might not be a guy who will score 30 goals and 60 points, he’s built like a power forward, and the Sabres need something like that right now. A close second for me would be Luukkonen, who I definitely thought was going to be on the opening night roster, but it looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer for him.

Sabres Having Trouble Selling Tickets

The Sabres look to be having some trouble selling tickets, as a number of factors are making it extremely difficult for them to do that right now. Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic leaving many in tough financial positions, cross-border travel restrictions, vaccination requirements to enter KeyBank Center, and the team’s sharp decline in season ticket holders due to their poor performance are all factors in this problem.

Want more Sabres content? Tune into ‘Sabres Scoop’ presented by The Hockey Writers every Friday – a weekly show on YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms. We stream weekly on The Hockey Writers YouTube channel. Check out our most recent show below, and make sure you subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss any upcoming shows. Keep up with us on Twitter @SabresScoopTHW.