Bryson tallied 27 points (4+23) in 61 games as a rookie with the Amerks. He scored all four of his goals during the final 10 games of the season.
"Jacob Bryson was clearly our strongest defenseman in Rochester at the latter part of the season last year," Krueger said. "We really enjoyed the development. What he's done thus far, he's been definitely the leader in the defensive corps (in Rochester).
"They've had some good success down in Rochester, and for us, it just felt right to inject him and give him his first National Hockey League game. He's just earned that and deserved that."
Krueger described Bryson as a talented puck mover with a strong mindset. The defenseman said he plans to maintain his playmaking mindset as he makes the jump to the next level.
"Obviously, there's nerves and that happens with everyone's first game," he said. "Just play simple and play my game, which is a lot of skating. I'm going to try and skate with the puck as much as I can and try to make plays out there."
The Sabres defense corps was dealt another blow Tuesday with the announcement that Will Borgen is expected to miss six to eight weeks due to a fracture in his right arm. The team announced Monday that Jake McCabe would miss the rest of the season due to injuries to his right knee while Rasmus Ristolainen is out indefinitely as he works his way back from a serious bout with COVID-19.
Borgen finished the game Saturday after sustaining an injury while blocking a shot during the first period. He was initially considered day-to-day before tests revealed the fracture.
"Absolute shock," Krueger said. "I mean, what courage that kid had. He broke his arm at the end of the first period and played two more. And as a result, because he played, it was doubtful that it was broken. By the time we got the picture, it was."
