The Buffalo Sabres defensive outlook has been muddled by injuries to Bowen Byram and Mattias Samuelsson. Can Radim Mrtka fill the void?
Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced defenseman Bowen Byram is day-to-day with an injury suffered in Saturday's preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings. He joins Mattias Samuelsson (week-to-week) as blueliners with an uncertain status ahead of the regular season.
The question is whether the Sabres will rely on obvious in-house replacement options (Jacob Bryson, Ryan Johnson and Zac Jones) to fill the defensive void or is the door now open for 2025 first-round draft pick Radim Mrtka to receive a nine-game tryout with the big club?