The Buffalo Sabres announced on Wednesday that defensemen Casey Nelson has opted out of the upcoming season.
Nelson has been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride with the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans the last few years. The undrafted free agent signed with in 2016 and has bounced up and down between the minors and the NHL. He did not play in the NHL last year and made the most of his professional appearances the year prior, playing 38 games with the Sabres at KeyBank Centre.
With training camp set to begin soon, Buffalo will have some tough decisions to make as it pertains to the hockey club’s defence. Headlining the Sabres defensive core is former No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin, who is heading into the final year of his ELC. Rasmus Ristolainen, Jack McCabe, Henri Jokiharju, Colin Miller and Brandon Montour are also returning locks for the defence.
Newcomer Matt Irwin will look to earn a spot on the roster, looking to outplay a pair of rookies in Brandon Davidson and Mattias Samuelson.
Ralph Kruger, along with his coaching staff, have some tough decisions to make if this team wants to break their nearly decade long playoff drought and get back to the NHL postseason.