The Buffalo Sabres are bracing for another long-term injury to No. 1 center Casey Mittelstadt and it leaves them with a clear dilemma about how to handle their roster going forward.
Mittelstadt left Tuesday's game against Anaheim in the third period, walking gingerly down the dressing room tunnel with what the team fears is a recurrence of the upper-body injury he suffered in the season opener against Montreal that kept him out 21 games. Mittelstadt was still undergoing tests Wednesday when coach Don Granato met the media after practice in KeyBank Center.
Luukkonen stopped 21 of 23 shots, but his teammates could not break through offensively in his season debut for the Buffalo Sabres as they fell to the Anaheim Ducks 2-0.
"We're still gathering information, having him see doctors, then going through their procedures to figure out where we're at," said Granato, who simply replied "could be" when asked if this looked like another long-term absence.
So where do the Sabres go now? They have journeyman Mark Jankowski on their roster but it might be time to give one of their top prospects their first trip to Buffalo if Mittelstadt is out well into 2022.
"If that's the case, like any other situation, we're gonna look at all different options and see how they fit in with the big picture," Granato said. "But we've got to stay on the big picture, despite any aggravation and frustration."
Rochester winger Jack Quinn, Buffalo's No. 1 draft choice in 2020, entered the Amerks' game Wednesday against Utica tied for the AHL lead with 24 points and second in goals with 11, but sat out the game with a non-Covid illness. Winger JJ Peterka, taken in the second round last year, was just outside the top 10 with 18 points and had a team-high 14 assists.
Forward Peyton Krebs, acquired from Vegas in the Jack Eichel trade, had a goal and six assists in his first 10 games with the Amerks but has been heating up of late. Krebs has seven points in his last three games and his second three-point night in Rochester came Wednesday. It included the overtime-winning goal on a power play to produce a 4-3 win over Utica.
Nice feed from Malone, wicked one-timer.. https://t.co/K3Cpwd02xt
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) December 9, 2021
Granato didn't want to go directly into a next-step discussion, noting the team has plenty of internal options if a decision needs to be made and won't have to worry about figuring out a trade or waiver claim. But the coach admitted the shine of the prospects in Rochester has him eagerly awaiting their trip West on the Thruway to Buffalo.
Memories and experiences from all that occurred behind the scenes during the Carolina Hurricanes’ championship run have molded the way Adams is trying to build a winner in his hometown.
"When you go to Rochester, and you see the skill level there of those kids, there's a big temptation, it's tough to fight at times," he said. "But we want to make sure we're doing the right thing for the long term. You can make a lot of decisions under the pressure that could jeopardize the vision we have, the big picture of what we have. We feel we have a great opportunity because we have some serious talent in our organization."
Granato said he talks to General Manager Kevyn Adams virtually every day about Rochester-related topics and is impressed by development throughout the organization. The Buffalo roster has players like Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Asplund who all had bit parts in this calendar year under former coach Ralph Krueger. They have been progressing quickly, which makes Mittelstadt's health issues even tougher to stomach.
"It's tough when you see players that committed and then on the other side how important it is for our team to have three-line scoring depth," Granato said. "Then the power play, he's missing that time. We're missing him for that time. It's not fun. It's not fun for him.
"It's tough for me when I think of him because he is a committed, determined player and determined to make the Buffalo Sabres a competitive team. He was one of the guys I mentioned that didn't want to go home last summer after the season wanted to stay here and train, be in Buffalo."
In other injury news
Granato said goalie Malcolm Subban, who suffered a right leg injury Saturday in Carolina, skated on his own before practice Wednesday and will do so again on Thursday. While that's a good indication Subban is not dealing with a long-term problem, the fact he's not yet joining the club for practice is a sign Subban likely won't be playing in this weekend's back to back against the Rangers and Washington. For now, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Aaron Dell are Buffalo's goalies. Zemgus Girgensons sat out practice Wednesday on a maintenance day.
Meanwhile, the Capitals are dealing with a Covid situation and canceled practice Wednesday. They are scheduled to return to the ice Thursday before meeting Pittsburgh on Friday and then heading to Buffalo. Center Nic Dowd, defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and winger Garnet Hathaway have all gone on the Covid-19 protocol list since Friday.
Peca directs Amerks' bench
After having three games postponed due to Covid protocols, the Rochester Amerks returned to action Wednesday night against Utica, albeit with a different look on their bench. Assistant coach and former Sabres captain Michael Peca assumed the head coaching duties for the game against Utica and was joined on the bench by Sabres player development director Adam Mair.
With multiple Buffalo scouts and executives in attendance, Rosen led Sweden in scoring with seven goals in seven games at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships in April.
Head coach Seth Appert remains in Covid protocol and has been joined on the sidelines by assistant coach and former Buffalo defenseman Mike Weber, who is also expected to miss Friday's game against Laval.
Sweden tabs Rosen for World Juniors
Winger Isak Rosen, the second of the Sabres' two first-round picks in July, was named Wednesday to the roster for Team Sweden for the World Junior Championships.
Rosen was taken by No. 14 overall with a pick acquired from Philadelphia for Rasmus Ristolainen. The 5-foot-10 Rosen has two goals and two assists in 25 games for Leksands of the Swedish Hockey League while collecting three goals and five points in four games for the Leksands junior league club.
Rosen had two goals and seven assists in seven games for Sweden at the Under-18 World Championships in May, helping his team win a bronze medal.
Defenseman Owen Power, Buffalo's No. 1 overall pick out of the University of Michigan, was named last week's to Canada's training camp roster for the World Juniors. The 35-player camp opens Thursday in Calgary, with the tournament starting Dec. 26 in Edmonton.
