There’s no drudgery in training camp for Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram. Especially in the wake of a summer that had his name on trade rumor lists across North America before he opted to sign a two-year, $12.5 million extension in Buffalo in July.
“Whenever you’re a guy with an expired contract, there’s always rumors going around. That’s just the profession we’re in, right?” Byram, who was a restricted free agent, said Monday. “Whether it’s your team trying to make your team better or another team trying to make their team better, whatever it might be, there’s always going to be rumors floating.
“I was happy to get my deal done here, and I was excited to come back, have a strong year and play hard and prove myself once again.”
Byram, who was paired on defense with rookie and first-round draft pick Radim Mrtka for Monday’s preseason opener at Columbus, played all 82 games for the Sabres last year and posted career highs in assists (31) and points (38). By coming back, he gets to play on the top pair with captain Rasmus Dahlin.
“We have a good group of guys that I found it easy to gel with and get to know,” Byram said. “I enjoy my time with them, and at the end of the day, I’m still trying to play and see what I can do. I feel last year I gained some trust from the coaching staff, so you just try to build on that.”
Georgiev’s first chance
Alexandar Georgiev got the start in goal Monday, his first game action with the Sabres since he was signed Sept. 11 in the wake of the lower-body injury that has held No. 1 goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen out of camp thus far.
“It’s important to come in and be a part of the group,” said Georgiev, 29. “It was a long offseason for sure, but I was waiting for an opportunity to open up, the best spot. The Sabres had an opportunity here, so I’m very excited to be with the group.”
Georgiev struggled as he split last season with Colorado (8-7, 3.38/.874) and San Jose (7-19-4, 3.88/.875). But he led the NHL in wins in 2022-23 (40) and 2023-24 (38) with the Avalanche and was selected to the 2024 All-Star Game.
“I played a lot of games, I got to an All-Star and I feel that this is my level,” Georgiev said. “I want to get back to that. And be a big part of getting to the playoffs here. This is huge for this team, obviously a younger group, but a lot of experience here, too.”
“He’s just got to use this platform,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said of Georgiev. “It’s an opportunity for him to say, ‘I can be a goaltender that can really help you guys out.’ Every opportunity he gets is a statement that he’s going to make to us.”
The lineup
In addition to Byram-Mrtka, the other defense pairs in Columbus were Owen Power with Michael Kesselring and the Rochester unit of Nikita Novikov and Vsevolod Komarov.
The forward lines that made the trip had Jiri Kulich centering Josh Doan and Jack Quinn, Buffalo’s presumptive fourth unit of Peyton Krebs between Beck Malenstyn and former Columbus player Justin Danforth, 2024 first-rounder Konsta Helenius, centering Rochester teammates Noah Ostlund and Anton Wahlberg, and Josh Dunne between Tyson Kozak and Mason Geertsen.
Non-game group practice
The group that did not go to Columbus practiced Monday and should form the bulk of the team that will play the Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in KeyBank Center.
Winger Alex Tuch, who missed the first couple of days of camp with a minor undisclosed injury, practiced fully Monday but Ruff said he wasn’t sure if Tuch would get in the game Tuesday.
One interesting takeaway from Monday’s practice was the Sabres showed what could be their main power play unit, with Dahlin quarterbacking a group that included Josh Norris, Tage Thompson, Jason Zucker and Tuch.
Alex Lyon will likely get the call in net Tuesday. Ruff said Devon Levi would be slated to play the third period in each game. The game will be streamed on Sabres.com and broadcast on WGR Radio.
MSG adds shot counter
The MSG Network tweeted Monday that it is adding shots on goal to the scorebug graphic during its telecasts this season. The network uses the same graphics for games involving the Sabres, New Jersey and the New York Rangers and Islanders.
MSG has not had shots on goal on the screen for many years, and it’s been a daily complaint for fans as an on-screen shot counter has become standard in the industry.
MSG’s shot counter will be tied with NHL’s statistical system, so viewers will likely notice shots going up and down in real time as the league makes adjustments to team totals.
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Mike Harrington
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