To respect the BN paywall I have not copied over the answers from Harrington. You can subscribe to the BN to read or click the link above.
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## Which prospect in Rochester, aside from Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen, are you interested in tracking this season?
Lysowski: Anton Wahlberg. The 19-year-old is listed at 6-foot-3 and brings skill as a power forward on the wing. He’s unlike any other player in the Sabres’ pipeline and someone who’s made a meteoric rise over the past two years. The coaching staff in Rochester, now led by Mike Leone, must help Wahlberg adjust to the smaller ice surface in North America and navigate his lack of experience. The 2023 second-round draft pick played well in a prominent role last season with Malmo in the Swedish Hockey League, but he appeared in only 61 games with the Redhawks since 2021 before he joined the Amerks. Patience will be necessary, particularly for a player with his skill set because it typically takes longer for a power forward to become NHL-ready as they must gain the necessary strength to play that role at the highest level.
## Outside of Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens, which returning player needs to bounce back and improve for the Sabres to be a playoff team?
Lysowski: There are several candidates, but I’ll settle on defenseman Bowen Byram. The Sabres need their defense corps, particularly the top players in the group, to inch closer to their potential. This team needs more from Rasmus Dahlin, particularly on the power play, where he committed too many turnovers while pressing. Injuries have held back Mattias Samuelsson. Owen Power was mostly excellent in the second half of last season after a challenging start, which former coach Don Granato attributed to the No. 1 draft pick’s contract negotiation that dragged into training camp.
This group won’t come together as envisioned, though, if the most recent marquee acquisition, Byram, plays the way he did late last season instead of the remarkable display everyone saw from him during the Colorado Avalanche’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2022. Byram, 23, has the talent to be the defenseman Adams had coveted for years. The challenge for Byram will be to put last season behind him, avoid the injuries that stalled his progress in Colorado and quickly adjust to a coach who should bring more structure to how Buffalo plays at 5-on-5.
## Which aspect of a Ruff-run training camp are you most looking to monitor?
Lysowski: Competitiveness. Training camp last fall was too relaxed. Granato was too focused on the preseason schedule and prospect development. It took too long for the opening-night lineup to skate together in practice on a consistent basis. We won’t see that this year, especially when the Sabres must prepare for their trip to Europe. And don’t count on veterans determining when they play in the preseason, which was the case last September and October under Granato. There may not be competition for roster spots, outside of the third pair on defense and backup goalie, but Ruff will push his players through competitive situations to prepare them to face the Devils in Prague.
## Who should be the next Sabre to receive a contract extension?
Lysowski: Sign Alex Tuch when he’s eligible for an extension July 1. He’s going to rebound in a big way after a slow start last season caused him to finish with 22 goals and 59 points in 75 games. The 28-year-old winger is determined to not let that happen again, and he’ll be motivated as ever with Ruff as the coach and the expectation that Tuch is going to step into a leadership role. If Tuch performs at the level that I’m expecting, then he should be a priority next summer rather than walking him to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026.
JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, Byram and Devon Levi are obvious candidates here, but Byram is the only player among the four who will be arbitration-eligible next summer. Each of the four will receive another contract in the summer of 2025 if they perform as expected.
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To respect the BN paywall I have not copied over the answers from Harrington. You can subscribe to the BN to read or click the link above.
—
## Which prospect in Rochester, aside from Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen, are you interested in tracking this season?
Lysowski: Anton Wahlberg. The 19-year-old is listed at 6-foot-3 and brings skill as a power forward on the wing. He’s unlike any other player in the Sabres’ pipeline and someone who’s made a meteoric rise over the past two years. The coaching staff in Rochester, now led by Mike Leone, must help Wahlberg adjust to the smaller ice surface in North America and navigate his lack of experience. The 2023 second-round draft pick played well in a prominent role last season with Malmo in the Swedish Hockey League, but he appeared in only 61 games with the Redhawks since 2021 before he joined the Amerks. Patience will be necessary, particularly for a player with his skill set because it typically takes longer for a power forward to become NHL-ready as they must gain the necessary strength to play that role at the highest level.
## Outside of Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens, which returning player needs to bounce back and improve for the Sabres to be a playoff team?
Lysowski: There are several candidates, but I’ll settle on defenseman Bowen Byram. The Sabres need their defense corps, particularly the top players in the group, to inch closer to their potential. This team needs more from Rasmus Dahlin, particularly on the power play, where he committed too many turnovers while pressing. Injuries have held back Mattias Samuelsson. Owen Power was mostly excellent in the second half of last season after a challenging start, which former coach Don Granato attributed to the No. 1 draft pick’s contract negotiation that dragged into training camp.
This group won’t come together as envisioned, though, if the most recent marquee acquisition, Byram, plays the way he did late last season instead of the remarkable display everyone saw from him during the Colorado Avalanche’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2022. Byram, 23, has the talent to be the defenseman Adams had coveted for years. The challenge for Byram will be to put last season behind him, avoid the injuries that stalled his progress in Colorado and quickly adjust to a coach who should bring more structure to how Buffalo plays at 5-on-5.
## Which aspect of a Ruff-run training camp are you most looking to monitor?
Lysowski: Competitiveness. Training camp last fall was too relaxed. Granato was too focused on the preseason schedule and prospect development. It took too long for the opening-night lineup to skate together in practice on a consistent basis. We won’t see that this year, especially when the Sabres must prepare for their trip to Europe. And don’t count on veterans determining when they play in the preseason, which was the case last September and October under Granato. There may not be competition for roster spots, outside of the third pair on defense and backup goalie, but Ruff will push his players through competitive situations to prepare them to face the Devils in Prague.
## Who should be the next Sabre to receive a contract extension?
Lysowski: Sign Alex Tuch when he’s eligible for an extension July 1. He’s going to rebound in a big way after a slow start last season caused him to finish with 22 goals and 59 points in 75 games. The 28-year-old winger is determined to not let that happen again, and he’ll be motivated as ever with Ruff as the coach and the expectation that Tuch is going to step into a leadership role. If Tuch performs at the level that I’m expecting, then he should be a priority next summer rather than walking him to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026.
JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, Byram and Devon Levi are obvious candidates here, but Byram is the only player among the four who will be arbitration-eligible next summer. Each of the four will receive another contract in the summer of 2025 if they perform as expected.