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 | Vaclav Karabacek, who played Sunday in Washington, was one of the nine sent down. | | Buffalo - September 24, 2014 - Sabres head coach Ted Nolan told reporters Tuesday that he’d name a new captain following training camp.
The Sabres have been without a captain since March, when then-captain Steve Ott was moved to the St. Louis Blues as a part of the Ryan Miller trade. Ott had been captain since Thomas Vanek, who was serving as co-captain with Ott, was moved to the New York Islanders early in the season.
Nolan has a few interesting choices on his hand and can go in a number of directions. The Sabres under former coach Lindy Ruff had a rotating group – using Michael Peca, Stu Barnes, Miro Satan, Chris Drury, James Patrick, J.P. Dumont, Danny Briere, Jochen Hecht, Toni Lydman, Brian Campbell, Jaroslav Spacek, Jason Pominville and Craig Rivet as captains. Will Nolan go the more traditional route and try to find someone more long-term?
It’s quite possible we already got a glimpse at the candidates: in Tuesday’s preseason home opener against the Carolina Hurricanes, Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges and Matt Moulson served as alternates.
In other news, the team also trimmed down its roster, sending nine prospects back to their junior leagues. Camp just opened, but the team already seems focused on the direction they’re heading in. The nine players sent back are as follows:
Forwards:
Joseph Blandisi (Barrie, OHL)
Eric Cornel (Peterborough, OHL)
Michael Joly (Rimouski, QMJHL)
Vaclav Karabacek (Gatineau, QMJHL)
Jack Rodewald (Moose Jaw, WHL)
Defensemen:
Ryan MacKinnon (Charlottetown, QMJHL)
Brycen Martin (Swift Current, WHL)
Jared Walsh (Mississauga, OHL)
Goalies:
Francois Brassard (Quebec, QMJHL)
Karabacek, a second-round pick in 2014, did play on Sunday against the Washington Capitals. He saw 10:55 of ice time and registered a -1 rating with one shot.
A bit surprising to see was Eric Corniel, who has been gaining steam recently and seems to be on the rise in the Sabres’ system. Perhaps it’s as simple as the team being patient with him and knowing they can afford to wait on some of these youngsters.
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