BUFFALO – In the coaches’ room each day, the Sabres’ depth dominates the discussion.
“It’s the main topic,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said earlier this week.
Inside those walls, Ruff and his staff deliberate how to best utilize that depth and keep everyone involved.
The Sabres, having compiled a 33-6-4 record in their last 43 games entering Friday’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings at KeyBank Center, have a pretty darn good thing going.
They’re a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. They don’t want to tinker with the lineup too much.
Before the trade deadline on March 6, they loaded up for a playoff run, adding four new players. In recent weeks, some injured players have returned.
So right now, 27 players – 16 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies – comprise perhaps the NHL’s deepest roster. There are no roster limits after the deadline.
The Sabres pared it down Thursday by sending rookie defenseman Zach Metsa, who has thrived skating limited minutes, back to the Rochester Americans.
Metsa sat out Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins because defenseman Conor Timmins returned from a broken leg that had sidelined him since Dec. 18.
Now, Metsa, Rochester’s captain and a high-end AHL defenseman, can play regularly and contribute to the Amerks’ playoff push.
But Ruff still has five skaters – defensemen Michael Kesselring and Luke Schenn and forwards Josh Dunne, Tyson Kozak and Tanner Pearson – who have been sitting out as healthy scratches.
“I’ve never really been on a team where there’s this many guys, but it’s fun, though,” said Kozak, who has played a career-high 40 games this season. “I enjoy it. I love it. I’m really excited for this final stretch and playoff push.”
While rookie goalie Colten Ellis hasn’t been playing, he dresses as the backup, allowing Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to take a full night off. Winger Jordan Greenway recently started practicing again after seeking treatment for his mid-body pain. He could be available in the near future.
“You can go to Dunne to Kozak, Greenway now, to Pearson,” Ruff said. “And then our three D that haven’t played. You don’t want to go too long with them not playing. And at the same time, on our road trip, we went shutout, shutout, we had a one-goal game.”
So other than inserting Timmins, Ruff went with the same lineup Wednesday.
“You get a little chemistry, and you think, ‘Boy, do you want to mess with that chemistry?’” Ruff said. “And it’s not that you stand there and you want as a coach (to say), ‘Oh boy, if somebody plays bad, I can put somebody in.’ I don’t want that.
“So just deal with it from game to game, and hopefully get those guys some time, because I really believe we’ll need them.”
The Sabres certainly needed them earlier this season. Ruff often talks about how much those players have contributed to their success.
But since they acquired Sam Carrick to pivot the fourth line, Kozak has played just once. Meanwhile, Dunne, who has played 31 times, has been scratched every game.
“We know that at one point or another during the season we’ve all helped out,” Kozak said. “I think just kind of getting into this final stretch, the guys have been playing really well as of late, and, yeah, it’s just tough to get back into the lineup.
“If anything crazy happens, one of us will be ready to go.”
Ruff, an NHL head coach for 26 years, said when he possessed a surfeit of talent in the past, young players mostly comprised that depth.
“This is a little bit different now right now, where some of the depth we have – and we have a lot of it right now – is more veteran guys,” he said.
Schenn, 36, has played 1,120 NHL games and won the Cup twice. Pearson, 33, has played 775 contests and won the Cup once.
At this stage of their careers, the veterans, both of whom arrived earlier this month from the Winnipeg Jets, understand their roles.
“It’s a mindset, right?” said Pearson, who has played one game for the Sabres. “You’re not going to come here and be a bad teammate. You want to keep the guys in a good mood. Obviously, it’s pretty easy when the guys are rolling like this.”
One of those forwards could have an opportunity Friday.
Sabres rookie Noah Ostlund missed Thursday’s practice after suffering an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s loss.
After beginning the year in the AHL, Ostlund, 22, has enjoyed a strong season, registering 11 goals, 27 points and a plus-11 rating in 60 games while moving between center and the wing.