ON THE CUSP: Hudson Fasching, F: The 6-2, 207-pound right wing likely will start the season in Rochester of the American Hockey League but might not be there for long. He plays in all situations, including on the power play and penalty kill, and can play a power game and also finish. Fasching is a solid complementary two-way wing that Bylsma will want in his lineup sooner than later. … Brendan Guhle, D: Signed to a three-year, entry-level contract on July 27, 2015, the 6-1, 186-pound left-handed shooter played the past two seasons for Prince Albert of the Western Hockey League, then had one goal and four points in six games for Rochester at the end of last season. ... Justin Bailey, F: The 6-3, 209-pound right wing/center had 20 goals and 45 points in 70 games for Rochester in his first pro season in 2015-16. He likely will start the season in the AHL but offers great depth when needed with the Sabres. … Nicholas Baptiste, F: A hardworking and complementary forward who can play right wing or center, Baptiste had 13 goals and 28 points in 62 games with Rochester last season.
WHAT THEY STILL NEED: Murray needs to lure Vesey, who would give Bylsma great depth among the top six. … Bylsma will need to establish if Nilsson is the clear backup goalie prior to the start of the season since the departure of Johnson left a significant hole. Linus Ullmark is another option behind Lehner. … Murray said he isn't done in his pursuit to add organizational depth; he signed defensemen Justin Falk and Taylor Fedun to a one-year, two-way contract on July 1.
PETE JENSEN'S FANTASY FOCUS: We saw a glimpse of defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen's potential when he scored 41 points, including 21 on the power play, and had 202 shots on goal last season. His fantasy rise could continue with Buffalo's strong nucleus of top-six forwards. The Sabres' first power-play unit figures to include O'Reilly, Eichel and free agent addition Okposo, so Ristolainen will have plenty of potent forwards to feed the puck. He absolutely will be available outside the top 100 players in fantasy drafts, but the 21-year-old could be poised for a leap into the realm of 50-60 points with a much-improved rating if his even-strength play stabilizes.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Evander Kane - Ryan O'Reilly - Kyle Okposo
Tyler Ennis - Jack Eichel - Sam Reinhart
Marcus Foligno - Johan Larsson - Brian Gionta
Nicolas Deslauriers - Zemgus Girgensons - Matt Moulson
Dmitry Kulikov - Rasmus Ristolainen
Josh Gorges - Zach Bogosian
Jake McCabe - Cody Franson
Robin Lehner
Anders Nilsson