Going into training camp, the Sabres had nine defensemen, 15 forwards, and two goalies on the roster, giving them a total of 26 players.
With each team required to have their 23-man Opening Day roster due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, the Sabres had to make a few minor moves to get down to the roster limit.
On Thursday, the Sabres placed defensemen Adam Pardy on waivers. Pardy was acquired by the Sabres back on July 2 along with forward Steve Ott in the trade that sent Derek Roy to the Dallas Stars. Pardy has played 183 games in the NHL over the course of four seasons with the Stars and Calgary Flames, notching four goals and 25 assists for 29 points, while posting a -2 rating.
Clearing waivers on Friday, Pardy was assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. This move ensures that defensemen TJ Brennan will start the season with the Sabres, leaving the Sabres eight defensemen. If Brennan were to be sent back to Rochester, he would have to clear waivers first, and with the way he had been playing at the AHL level, he likely would have been claimed by another team.
Brennan played 36 games with the Americans this season during the course of the NHL Lockout, leading the team in scoring with 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points. Brennan played 11 games with the Sabres last year, picking up one point on a goal against the Boston Bruins in his first NHL game back in November of 2011.
Also on Friday, the Sabres placed forwards Nathan Gerbe and Cody McCormick on Injured Reserve, effectively leaving them with 23 players on the active roster, including 12th overall pick Mikhail Grigorenko.
Grigorenko will get five games of NHL action to prove if he is ready for the NHL, in which he could then be sent back to his junior team (Quebec Remparts), where he has scored 69 goals and added 66 assists for 135 total points in 91 games over the course of two seasons. Once (and if) he plays his 6th game with the Sabres this season, his entry level contract will kick in, ensuring his place on the team for the rest of the season.
On their 23-player opening day roster, the Sabres have 13 forwards (not including the two on Injured Reserve), eight defensemen, and two goalies.
Here is the Buffalo Sabres full roster for the start of this season (with forwards Cody McCormick and Nathan Gerbe starting the season on IR):
Forwards
8 Cody McCormick
9 Steve Ott
19 Cody Hodgson
21 Drew Stafford (Assistant Captain)
23 Ville Leino
25 Mikhail Grigorenko
26 Thomas Vanek (Assistant Captain)
29 Jason Pominville (Captain)
32 John Scott
36 Patrick Kaleta
37 Matt Ellis
42 Nathan Gerbe
55 Jochen Hecht
63 Tyler Ennis
82 Marcus Foligno
Defensemen
3 Jordan Leopold
6 Mike Weber
10 Christian Ehrhoff
24 Robyn Regehr
33 TJ Brennan
44 Andrej Sekera
52 Alexander Sulzer
57 Tyler Myers
Goalies
1 Jhonas Enroth
30 Ryan Miller
The Sabres close out their week of training camp at 10:30 on Saturday morning, and open the season Sunday afternoon at 12:30 at home against the Philadelphia Flyers. With only being allowed to dress 18 skaters and two goalies, Matt Ellis, TJ Brennan, and Mike Weber are expected to be healthy scratches based on the line combinations in practice on Friday.
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