The Buffalo Sabres are in the midst of a reshuffle of their roster for next season and the bottom end of their blueline is the area where the upheaval is the most stark. If you look at the turnover from the opening night roster last season, Dennis Gilbert was dealt to Ottawa along with Dylan Cozens for Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker at the trade deadline, Connor Clifton was shipped to Pittsburgh for Conor Timmins, and Henri Jokiharju was sent to Boston for a 2026 fourth round pick.

Jokiharju, who was a pending unrestricted free agent when the Sabres traded him in March, re-signed with the Bruins on Monday to a three-year, $9 million contract extension. The 26-year-old had 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 60 games with Buffalo and Boston last season, and is expected to play on the Bruins bottom pairing 

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Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019 in a swap for Alex Nylander, the former first-round pick had 81 points (19 goals, 62 assists) in 351 games over six seasons with the Sabres, playing at times with Dahlin on the club’s top pairing and higher in the lineup than maybe he should have because of a lack of options on the right side.  

The Sabres at this point are going to look different on defense to start next season, with righties Michael Kesselring (acquired in the JJ Peterka deal last week), Timmins (a restricted free agent) and Bernard-Docker on the right side. There is still a possibility of more changes, as Mattias Samuelsson and/or Bowen Byram could be moved this summer, leaving only Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power as defensemen who are certain to be back. 

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