The Buffalo Sabres have a game to play at home on Friday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
First, they've made a roster move that risks them losing a player due to a waiver decision.
The logic of the move actually makes perfect sense. It's just the reality that sometimes, waivers have to be risked to get the roster into order.
The Sabres placed Jack Rathbone on waivers on Friday. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the news.
The waiver placement for Rathbone is intended to pass him through waivers to go down to AHL Rochester.
Rathbone hasn't played yet this season at any level as he has recovered from injury, and he's out of free assignments to the AHL level.
So to get Rathbone down to the Amerks, he has to pass through waivers. That's the simple roster procedure.
That does put him at risk of getting claimed in the 24 hours after the move. Any team in the NHL can put in a claim to take Rathbone's contract into their organization.
The official news on whether or not that has happened won't come until 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The reality, though, is that Rathbone's health status almost assuredly makes him safe. Another team wouldn't take the risk with one of their own roster spots on a player they can't even be sure is fully healthy.
Buffalo is signaling good health by getting ready to have Rathbone down in Rochester, but he should pass through waivers safely. Still, there's at least a bit of risk with the move.
Rathbone is a 27-year-old defenseman originally from Boston.
He stands 5-foot-11 and is a left-shot player.
He had originally entered pro hockey as a Vancouver Canucks draft pick, and all 28 of his career NHL games (2 goals, 3 assists) have come with the Canucks.
Rathbone joined Buffalo's organization before the 2024-25 season, and he has skated exclusively for the Amerks since then.
In 2024-25, Rathbone played in 63 games with Rochester and had 23 points — 6 goals and 17 assists — while being a plus-9. He also had three assists in eight playoff games that season.
Last season, Rathbone appeared in 49 games for the Amerks and had 18 points — 5 goals and 13 assists. He also played in three playoff games.
Rathbone is waiting for his first action of the 2026-27 season, and while he was technically on the Sabres' roster while recovering from injury, he was never expected to remain with Buffalo once healthy.
Rathbone will still be seeking a return to the NHL level at some point, but for now, the best the former Harvard star can do is play to his potential in Rochester, try to stay healthy, and hope the right people are paying attention.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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