TYLER PACOS
Sports Editor
The 2022 NHL season is just around the corner.
With preseason underway as of Sept. 24 and the regular season slated to start on Oct. 11, teams are making their final adjustments to their respective rosters ahead of opening night.
The Buffalo Sabres are coming off yet another season of not making the playoffs. The 11th straight season to be exact. With many new factors being added into the mix though this year, the destiny for the team this season is quite up in the air.
Buffalo picked up new goaltender Eric Comrie during free agency this off-season, along with physical-minded defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to help bolster their depth within the roster. General Manager Kevyn Adams also sought out contact extensions for forwards Vinnie Hinostroza, Victor Olofsson and Tage Thompson. Keeping the younger core together was something Adams has focused on ever since his tenure has started in Buffalo. Then you add developed prospects Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Jack Quinn into the mix, both having a chance to play their first full season in the NHL. It’s safe to say there will be lots of new and young talent to see throughout the season this year.
The Sabres have 82 games on their schedule this year, opening the season on Oct. 13 against the Ottawa Senators at home. From there, they can be seen 12 times nationally on ESPN/TNT including the second return to Buffalo for former first-round pick and current Vegas Golden Knight Jack Eichel scheduled for Nov. 10.
The abundance of new faces heading into next week makes it unclear how this season could go, but from what we saw at the end of last season along with the new additions made, Buffalo could have a good chance of making a serious splash in the highly skilled Atlantic Division.