Sabres add depth on defense with Jokiharju, Samuelsson absent

SEATTLE – Kale Clague joined the Sabres for practice at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday, the latest addition on defense following recent injuries to Henri Jokiharju and Mattias Samuelsson.

Jokiharju, who was injured when he took a shot to the face during the first period in Calgary last Thursday, returned to Buffalo and has been placed on injured reserve (meaning he will miss a minimum of seven days retroactive to the game against the Flames). 

Samuelsson, who sustained a lower-body injury in Vancouver on Saturday, has also since returned to Buffalo. Sabres coach Don Granato said postgame that the initial prognosis was positive. A timeline for Samuelsson’s return will be determined after the road trip. 

With Jokiharju and Samuelsson absent, one of Clague or Lawrence Pilut will make his Sabres debut in the road trip finale against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. The two defensemen rotated on a pair with Casey Fitzgerald during practice, while Ilya Lyubushkin filled in for Samuelsson alongside Rasmus Dahlin. Owen Power and Jacob Bryson formed the other tandem. 

Clague was among a trio of defenseman who joined the Sabres on one-year deals during the opening day of free agency, along with Jeremy Davies and Chase Priskie. He has 58 games of NHL experience in five pro seasons, including 25 with Montreal last season.

Pilut played 46 games in two seasons with the Sabres from 2018 to 2020 before spending the past two years in the KHL. He returned this offseason on a one-year contract.

Clague has three assists this season in five games with Rochester. Pilut has two assists in three games.

“We had a group of defensemen that we signed over the summer, Kale being one of them, and we really liked all of them,” Granato said. “They fit how we want to play. They all moved to Rochester and integrated very well in how we want to play down there. 

“This year, we need Lawrence up, we need Kale up, and we’re glad to have them in our organization. When needed, I know they’re going to be ready.”

Video: AFTER PRACTICE: Granato

Here are more notes from practice in Seattle.

1. Here’s how the Sabres lined up in full for practice.

2. Granato expressed confidence in the players on the Sabres’ defense corps – all of whom are 25 or younger, save for Pilut (26) and Lyubushkin (28) – to step into bigger roles while Jokiharju and Samuelsson recover. 

“The heat’s on and sometimes it’s even better (for) these guys, competitive guys, to just not have time to even think about what’s happening,” Granato said. “Only when you step away from the game, after the game, you realize, ‘I played 15, 18, 20 minutes,’ whatever it may be. 

“I think that’s a good thing. I think these guys are well prepared and they compete really hard if we’re talking about Fitzgerald or Bryson having to play a bigger role, maybe Pilut or Clague coming in. I think it’s, boom, they’re in there and they’re engaged.” 

3. Lyubushkin skating alongside Dahlin would also signify an increased role. Dahlin is the Sabres’ leader in even-strength ice time per game at 18:55. (Samuelsson ranked third at 16:22).

“If it’s Boosh and Dahls together, I think they’ll embrace it,” Granato said. “Boosh is a guy that everybody loves to be around, forwards or D. He’s easy to play with. He’s consistent in how he plays so any pair you put him with, I think all of our other D, he’s complementary to them by his grit but he’s also easy to play with.”

4. Dahlin was named First Star of the Week by the NHL on Monday. He became the first defenseman in NHL history to open a season with goals in four straight games in Calgary on Thursday, then broke his own record with a fifth straight goal in Vancouver.

Read more about his start here.