Ryan O’Reilly’s Injured Foot Leaves Big Shoes to Fill

The Buffalo Sabres were dealt a mighty blow on February 21, when it was announced that star center Ryan O’Reilly would miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury. Already suffering from a lack of depth, and having lost more man-games to injury than any team other than Edmonton and New Jersey, the Sabres’ young team has struggled to find consistency in their lines.

Though their top line has seen some turnover, the pairing of O’Reilly and former Avalanche teammate Jamie McGinn had been dependable through most of the season. Now, with the loss of their leading scorer and number one center, coach Dan Bylsma faces the daunting task of once again shuffling his lines.

The team has several players who can play at center, like Sam Reinhart. The rookie has flourished since moving to the wing, and may have a hard time returning to the middle.

Down a crucial player, the Sabres are spending the week on the left coast, facing the third, fourth, and fifth place teams in the Western Conference. With O’Reilly out, the team will have to swap veteran leadership for youthful exuberance. Here are some forwards who could see some time at center while O’Reilly is recovering.

Johan Larsson: A natural left wing, the 23-year old is a veritable elder statesman for the Sabres. In the last two seasons, Larsson has split time between Rochester and Buffalo, playing 67 games with the big club. He’s played 53 games with the Sabres so far this season, and though he’s only scored six points in this campaign, the Swedish forward has a knack for being in good position to score, but has unfortunately been unable to finish on most of the chances he’s had. Most recently, he spent his Sunday afternoon working against Sidney Crosby in the Sabres’ loss to the Penguins. Though he finished the game a minus-2, Larsson did a good job against one of the league’s most prolific scorers. Though he won’t likely move up past the third line, it is a safe bet that he’ll see some time against opposing top players – especially after the strong game against Crosby.

Sam Reinhart: Aforementioned rookie Sam Reinhart is having a great season playing on the wing. Whether he’s skating beside O’Reilly or fellow freshman Jack Eichel, Reinhart is on pace for 20 goals (or more) this season, sitting at 18 with 22 games left to play. The move to center may actually diminish Reinhart’s goal scoring as the Sabres work through the final stretch of the season – with additional defensive responsibility, Reinhart may be hesitant to commit to an offensive mindset.

Zemgus Girgensons: Buffalo’s only representation in last season’s All-Star Game, Girgensons has had some trouble repeating the performance that earned him the ‘Latvian Locomotive’ moniker. Of all the players on the team whose game might fall off a bit after the move to center, Girgensons’ play may actually improve.

Though he’s had a good rapport with Jack Eichel in the last few weeks, Girgensons seems to play better with the pressure of additional responsibility. Shouldering the load of the first line center may give “Zee” the confidence he seems to have been lacking this season, and it would keep Reinhart on the wing and focused on putting pucks in the net.

Cal O’Reilly: The O’Reilly brothers may not have the same impressive stats that the Sedin twins have, but don’t count the elder O’Reilly out. Cal was recalled to the Sabres on February 22, after scoring the game winning goal in Rochester’s overtime win against Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

O’Reilly has played well with the Sabres in the five games he’s dressed for this season. The Amerks’ captain isn’t going to set the west on fire, but he may help fill the leadership void left by his ailing brother.  There is also a chance that Cal O’Reilly will split time with Dan Catenacci, who has returned to the ice after a vicious headshot from Philadelphia’s Radko Gudas.

The pair of AHL standouts may not see top-line minutes, but their contributions will be important as fatigue builds on the west coast; for many of Buffalo’s young stars, this is their first extended trip to the Pacific Time Zone, and it will be interesting to see how they handle it.

With just over 20 games remaining in the regular season, Buffalo’s goals have certainly shifted. In what has been a war of attrition this season, it appears that Buffalo’s victories have been pyrrhic, at best. Down the stretch, their rookies will be called upon to carry quite a load for the team. This is the type of adversity that builds leaders, though, and if anything positive is to come out of the last few weeks of Buffalo’s season, it will be the experience gained by Eichel, Reinhart, and Girgensons, who will have to put the team on their shoulders and carry them to the finish line.

At this point, anything better than last place might be considered a success for the ailing Buffalo Sabres.

 

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