Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres finalized their 23-man roster on Monday sending JJ Peterka and Casey Fitzgerald to the Rochester Americans.
In addition, Buffalo lost forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby as the Washington Capitals, who re-claimed him off waivers.
Peterka scored three goals in five preseason games and has shown great improvement throughout training camp. Head coach Don Granato said Peterka will play games in Buffalo this season, but Rochester is the best place for him to start the year.
“It’s twofold," Granato said following Monday's practice. "JJ’s progressed through camp, and he’s one of our final guys. We’re going to use them all through the year. JJ will be in that mix, there’s no doubt in my mind. But he can get more ice-time, more special teams time [in Rochester], and I don’t want to sacrifice the development he can get in a real short span by just playing in the American Hockey League.”
Peterka is a guy that learns things quickly. Granato said that’s one thing he’s noticed in the winger through training camp.
“Progress. He kept getting better through camp,” Granato stated.
People are already getting crazy on who is on what line. Granato says he's not going to get too worked up about his opening night lineup.
"You play 82 games, and that’s how I’ll present it to the three that won’t be playing," Granato said. "We play 82 games, spare me the drama about being a healthy scratch. We’re in it for the long haul, so we’re not going down that road with our group.”
Zemgus Girgensons struggled a lot trying to shift back to center so he is now a left winger.
Here is how the roster looks heading into Thursday night's season opener:
Left Wing:
- Zemgus Girgensons
- Jeff Skinner
- Anders Bjork
- Rasmus Asplund
Center:
- Casey Mittelstadt
- Dylan Cozens
- Tage Thompson
- Cody Eakin
- Arttu Ruotsalainen
- Jack Eichel (Injured Reserve)
Right Wing:
- Vinnie Hinostroza
- Drake Caggiula
- Victor Olofsson
- Kyle Okposo
- John Hayden
Left Defense:
- Rasmus Dahlin
- Jacob Bryson
- Robert Hagg
- Will Butcher
- Mattias Samuelsson (Injured Reserve)
Right Defense:
- Henri Jokiharju
- Colin Miller
- Mark Pysyk
Goalies:
- Craig Anderson
- Dustin Tokarski
MONDAY'S LINES:
Forwards:
Skinner – Mittelstadt – Hinostroza
Bjork – Cozens – Caggiula
Asplund – Thompson – Olofsson
Girgensons – Eakin – Okposo
Ruotsalainen – Hayden
Defense:
Dahlin – Jokiharju
Hagg – Pysyk
Bryson – Miller
Butcher
***Photo: Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres)