Camp Preview: Defense corps hopes to continue growth in 2020-21

A dozen defensemen are set to take part in the Buffalo Sabres' 2020-21 training camp and only a handful of them will be skating in a Sabres jersey for the first time.
Buffalo's top six defensemen in terms of both games played and points return for the upcoming season. After 13 days of practices and scrimmages, the team will be on the ice for opening night so that familiarity could help Buffalo get off to a quick start.
"At this point, there's just so much excitement to be back at work and be back to doing what we love that we're really just going to embrace this challenge of having this condensed schedule," defenseman Jake McCabe said.
Training camp, presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, opens on Thursday. The team's first practice is scheduled for Friday morning at KeyBank Center and will be closed to the public.
Today, Sabres.com's pre-camp coverage will take a bird's-eye view of the defensemen we'll see on the ice.

New faces

The penalty kill was one area the Sabres are looking to improve in after finishing 30th last season while down a man. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams added some special teamers at forward and will look to Matt Irwin for similar support on the blue line.
Irwin was traded to the Ducks at the trade deadline after spending two and a half seasons with the Predators that included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. He signed a one-year deal with the Sabres this offseason and has embraced a team-first attitude.
"I mean, the ultimate goal for me is to be on the ice and play," Irwin said after signing. "Whichever way that is, I am happy to do so. It doesn't matter if it's penalty kill, power play, just strictly 5-on-5. Whatever it is, I just want to be out there and help the team win.
"I didn't take that as a negative when I got to Nashville, that's for sure. I mean, I looked at the guys who were in front of me. It's Matt Irwin and Roman Josi. I mean, I'd pick Roman."
Buffalo also signed Brandon Davidson, a veteran of 174 NHL games who spent last season in the Sharks and Flames organizations. He played five games for San Jose last year and netted 20 points in 34 games with the Stockton Heat of the AHL.

Returning in royal

Rasmus Dahlin led the defense corps in points for the second time in his career. He finished fourth in team scoring with 40 points (4+36) despite missing 10 games, wrapping up his teenage years with historic numbers. With 84 career points (13+71) in 141 contests, he joined Phil Housley (46+86) as the only teenage defensemen in NHL history to record at least 80 points.
He turned 20 on April 13 and Sabres coach Ralph Krueger sees the potential for Dahlin's game to improve in all areas.
"If I look at the strength and the physicality, you will visibly see that in the first skate on the first of January that Dahlin has really used the time properly - hopefully by far the longest break in his career," Krueger said yesterday. "Very few players have it at that age where you can still put on so much muscle mass. And mentally also, he's another one where there's been some good conversations through the offseason. He is extremely competitive and wants to be a big part of us taking another step.
"…I also see his hunger to learn the game away from the puck and to take that responsibility defensively that they don't usually have as they grow up when they have so much skill. In many ways, we need him to grow for us to be able to reach our goals."
Rasmus Ristolainen still carried the load in terms of minutes. He led the club with an average 22:48 of ice time per night, down from an average of 24:38 the year before and a career-high of 26:30 in 2017-18. Krueger anticipates that the minutes will continue to be distributed more evenly this year.
Colin Miller and Henri Jokiharju made their Sabres debuts last season and settled into their respective roles as the year went on. Jokiharju, who came over in a trade with Chicago last summer, set career highs in games played and points, and he scored the first four NHL goals of his career in 2019-20.

Jokiharju, Ristolainen, and forwards Sam Reinhart and Zemgus Girgensons were the only Sabres to dress in all 69 games last season.
Brandon Montour is back on a one-year deal and veteran Jake McCabe, who served as an alternate captain last year, rounds out the group of familiar faces.
"We don't have a ton of time. We're going to a couple intrasquad scrimmages and I'm sure those are going to be very fast paced and high intensity because there's nothing like replicating game speed," McCabe said.

Making the push

Training camp will be unique as clubs are allowed to invite 36 skaters and an unlimited number of goaltenders. The AHL is anticipating to begin play on February 5, but start dates for junior leagues like the OHL and WHL are still to be determined.
For the 2020-21 season, each team will feature an active roster of 23 players as well as a taxi squad consisting of 4-6 players. With no preseason games, competition during practice will likely be a big determining factor in who makes the opening night roster.
Several players could be on the cusp of graduating from the Rochester Americans, including Will Borgen, who made his NHL debut at the end of 2018-19 season but spent all of 2019-20 with the Amerks.

Jacob Bryson and Casey Fitzgerald completed their first full professional seasons last year. Bryson finished second in points among Amerks defenseman with 27 (4+23).
Mattias Samuelsson, Buffalo's second-round pick in 2018 (32nd overall), wrapped up a two-year stint at Western Michigan University where he served as captain. He'll be in training camp for the first time.

The week ahead

Consistency was a theme on the defense and the same could be said between the pipes. Sabres.com will look at the goaltenders who are in Sabres camp tomorrow.
Stay tuned for coverage of training camp starting Friday as the team ramps up for the first game of the regular season on Thursday, January 14 at home against the Washington Capitals.