Sabres Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines — Preseason Cuts, Injury Updates & More

Here is the latest news and updates around the Buffalo Sabres and their schedule for the week of Sept. 27 – Oct. 4, 2026.

Preseason Cuts

On Friday, the Sabres made a round of their first preseason cuts as we inch closer to the opening night roster being announced.

They demoted 17 players, including placing eight on waivers. The eight that were placed on waivers are: Dennis Gilbert, Ryan Johnson, Mason Geertsen, Trevor Kuntar, Aidan McDonough, Carson Meyer, Jason Polin and Matt Villalta. The remaining players that were demoted include: forwards Thomas Borderleau, Matteo Costantini, Riley Fidler-Schultz, Zac Funk, Matthew Peca, Jake Richard, Redmond Savage, Graham Slaggert, Liam Valante, and Brendan Warren. The defensemen were Vsevlod Komarov, Noah Laaouan, Gavin McCarthy, Radim Mrtka, and Maxim Strbak.

Regular Season Is About to Kick Off

The NHL kicks off their regular season on Tuesday, Sept. 29 with a five-game slate. The Sabres, of course, kick their season off Thursday, Oct. 1 as they travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. As we head into the season, the Sabres now have real expectations placed on them. After the success they had last season, from winning 50 games and the Atlantic Division to coming one goal away from the Eastern Conference Final, teams will not take them lightly.

They had some roster changes, trading Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks and Alex Tuch’s rights to the Washington Capitals; their young players are expected to take on bigger roles. They have big shoes to fill, but the organization believes they can do so. It all starts Thursday night.

Injury Updates

Olen Zellweger has been in concussion protocol since Sept. 22 when he took a hit from Carson Soucy in their 5-1 preseason win vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets. Head coach Lindy Ruff said he anticipates Zellweger should be ready for their season opener on Oct. 1.

Mattias Samuelsson exited their game vs. the Blue Jackets on Sept. 22 and is week-to-week with a lower-body injury per Ruff. It’s a question of pain tolerance, and Ruff said Samuelsson could return earlier than anticipated.

Jason Zucker has been out since the start of training camp due to an offseason sports hernia injury. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he “could maybe miss a couple weeks of the regular season.”

Alex Lyon suffered a shoulder injury in their 3-2 overtime loss vs the Detroit Red Wings after diving for a loose puck with his glove hand. He’s going to “miss a few days” per Ruff.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen exited the team’s 3-1 loss vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins 3:47 into the third period after tweaking something in his lower body. Ruff said “didn’t want to take any chances” and would not commit to his status for Thursday’s season opener.

Jiri Kulich has been dealing with a nagging injury and skated during practice on Saturday morning and “was doing pretty good.”

Upcoming Schedule

Here is the Sabres upcoming schedule for the week as the regular season kicks off.

• Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:00 PM ET
• Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 vs. Chicago Blackhawks @ 7:00 PM ET