And while he doesn’t have the reputation of being a defensive specialist forward, the players above are the main guys that have taken over that role the last couple of seasons. This would mean he or Okposo would be used in a more offensive role, but even that leaves a hole at center on that hypothetical shutdown defensive line, as Zemgus Girgensons has not been a primary center in years and Hinostroza and Rasmus Asplund are primary wingers as well. Between that and Cody Eakin being unlikely to return leaving a center spot open on the roster, there were probably other ways to try to fill the Hinostroza role in the UFA market that they could have tested the waters in before making this signing.

On top of this, the number of opening night roster spots open for Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka is slowly closing up. After dominating in the AHL last season, it’s not farfetched to imagine them making a summer jump that rewards them an earned roster spot, and if they earn spots, they shouldn’t be sent back to start the season in Rochester on a team looking to develop as a young core.

Again, it’s still the eve of free agency, and there are plenty of other moves that they could make, including a Casey Mittelstadt trade or an Anders Bjork buyout to name a few, but right now, there are additional questions that are now worth being asked in the present for how this affects others on the roster just as it did when Craig Anderson re-signed a few weeks ago. Speaking of goaltenders…

Malcolm Subban will also be returning to the Sabres organization in 2023 after signing a 1 year contract for $850k, the same amount as the contract with which he was traded to Buffalo last winter. As he did even after injury last season, Subban will likely serve as the organization 3rd or 4th goalie and see his fair share of trips up and down the 90 if injuries pile up this season, but have a primary role as serving as one of the two goalies in Rochester’s quest to return to the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2023.

Last season’s four game sample is best regarded as a wash, as even in the 4 games he was healthy for the Sabres, he had a very covid-stricken roster in front of him. He was right at .900 for a save percentage in 16 games in 2021 with Chicago, so it’s not out of the question that he could hover around that for the Sabres next season, which would be an upgrade over Aaron Dell in the same role last season. While not the biggest upgrade they could have made, it’s one more step in the right direction that at least gives organizational familiarity if the team strikes out in the goalie market in the next few weeks (and the options sure are dwindling). As I wrote about a couple weeks ago, it’s going to take seeing the results before we know if the offseason in net was successful, mostly based on the play of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

And here’s an exert from that post to wrap things up for the night: