Breaking News:Three Sabres top stars enters transfer portal

Following their loss on Thursday night to the Edmonton Oilers, the Buffalo Sabres season is over, and that’s all there is to it. Unless they win their final 10 games and come up with some luck, there won’t be any hockey in the final week of April, so why bother still playing for 2023-24?

Instead, Buffalo needs to treat these final 10 games like a trial run for some of their big-name prospects who are either in Rochester or have recently been recalled from the smaller club. Each of the players listed could find their way into the lineup full-time next season, and two of them are likely full-timers, barring some unforeseen regression.

Before we dive into which three players should be call-ups for the Sabres starting next week, let’s talk about one who should at least warrant serious consideration.

Like all the players on this list, Rosen is already eligible to compete in the AHL playoffs, so there is no reason why he shouldn’t spend time in Buffalo with the Amerks playing so well. He also played a few games for the Sabres this year. While he didn’t score or log solid performances, Rosen has also shown enough to warrant a few more games at the NHL level, thanks to what has been an improved season in Rochester.

We have seen Rosen nearly match his points total (36 points in 56 games) from last season in roughly 10 fewer contests. He may not have transformed into a dynamic player, but the trajectory is still trending north, something I discussed in deeper detail before the 2024 trade deadline.

Now that the Amerks have all but locked up a playoff spot, there are three more players who deserve to stay in or get the recall back to Buffalo for the final 10 games of the season. One is currently with the club, and we will discuss them first.

Pete Guelli has been named Chief Operating Officer of both the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, per an announcement made early this week.

The Rochester, NY native returns to Western New York after spending the previous five years as Chief Business Officer with the New York Giants. But this won’t be Guelli’s first time working for the Bills — having previously spent over a decade with the franchise in the early 2000s. During his first tenure, which culminated in his role as Executive Vice President, Pete Guelli was in the driver’s seat as the team moved training camp from SUNY Fredonia to St. John Fisher University.

Guelli finds his way back to the Bills and New York proper to help remedy what has been a tumultuous point within the financial realm of the team’s front office. In less than a calendar year, the Bills’ COO position changed hands more than once — from the sudden departure of EVP/COO Ron Raccuia to the dismissal soon after of interim Bills/Sabres EVP & COO John Roth.

In just over two months’ time, Roth was let go due to workplace improprieties that included a relationship with then Senior Vice President Kathryn D’Angelo (who was also dismissed). The rampant upheaval marked an stark contrast compared against the Bills’ on-field product and those related to the team’s success.

Guelli’s return will find him immediately diving into the team’s biggest financial move ever, with the construction of the Bills’ new stadium just across the road from One Bills Drive. There will be much to consider and contend with as the new building takes on a more profound footprint within Orchard Park, NY.