When Rasmus Dahlin was injured on the first day of training camp, the Buffalo Sabres promoted Ryan Johnson to the NHL group in practice. The second-year defenseman getting the first call was telling, as other candidates with NHL experience could’ve been promoted instead. The move seemed to indicate Ryan Johnson was the ninth defenseman on the depth chart, following Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, Henri Jokiharju, Mattias Samuelsson, Connor Clifton, Jacob Bryson, and Dennis Gilbert.
When it came time for the team to head to Europe, the expanded 27-man roster was sure to include nine defensemen. It did, but Kale Clague, not Ryan Johnson, got the call to join the NHL squad on the trip. On top of that, Johnson was not in the lineup when the Sabres prospects had to participate in the final four preseason games. So what happened? Why isn’t he playing? And where does he stand in the organization?
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An Unfortunate Incident
Ryan Johnson was one of the standouts in Sabres rookie camp and through the Prospects Challenge. The strong performance was expected, as Johnson played 41 games last season for the Sabres and is no longer considered a “rookie”. Much like Jiri Kulich, he was on the fast track to joining the NHL group, showing the poise and skating ability to stick with the Sabres.
Then, in practice, Johnson took a puck to the skate, causing some discomfort. He gutted out the remainder of the session, but, in the following days, there wasn’t considerable improvement. The Sabres have practiced precaution with all of their injuries during training camp. With Johnson, it was no different.
That’s why when it was time to get the team ready to travel to Munich, Germany, Clague practiced with the main group. Clague has 94 career NHL games under his belt, including 36 with Buffalo. He’s a more than capable NHL fill-in, which is a credit to the depth the Sabres management has built on defense.
The Sabres are confident in Clague’s ability to step in but realize that the 23-year-old Johnson is the future.
Johnson Injury Timeline
When asked about the Ryan Johnson injury and about a timeline, Amerks head coach Mike Leone termed the injury as “lower body” and designated him as “day-to-day”. When asked if he is ready to start practicing, Leone responded, “If things continue to go well, I think so.”
Johnson confirmed to Buffalo Hockey Now that he is fine and believes he’ll be ready for the regular season. Like most of the injury news this training camp, the Sabres seem to have skirted anything long-term.
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Where Johnson Slots on Sabres Depth Chart
An injury can adjust where a player slots in on the depth chart, so it would be naive to think that doesn’t apply to Ryan Johnson and the Sabres. Nikita Novikov and Zach Metsa have meshed well as the top pair toward the end of the preseason. Jack Rathbone and Vsevelod Komarov are also shouldering big minutes, especially offensively. Jacob Bryson and Dennis Gilbert have stuck with the NHL group throughout training camp. Clague remains on the fringe of the NHL.
Where Johnson stands in the Sabres organization is a question of potential versus immediate help. At the start of training camp, it looked like he could provide both. That put him ahead of the experienced Clague and Rathbone, and fellow prospects Novikov and Komarov. Now the lines are blurred, as Johnson will have to reestablish his role with an Amerks squad.
Depth Chart: Sabres Depth Chart Update Heading into Training Camp
In an ideal world, Johnson is not only challenging Bryson and Gilbert for an NHL spot but leapfrogging them. For now, he’ll likely battle with Clague as the first AHL call-up to begin the regular season.
