Sabres captain Craig Rivet is set to be ready for the start of the season after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery.
The Sabres reliance on Rivet this year is relatively important. Not only being the team captain, he’s the lynchpin to their defensive work along the blue line as well. While the Sabres added Shaone Morrisonn in the off-season, the rest of their defensive crew isn’t quite as deep.
The Sabres run about seven deep on defense so any injuries to anyone will make life difficult and digging into the AHL in Portland won’t offer much experienced relief.