With Henri Jokiharju on the mend, and Mattias Samuelsson working his way back from injury, the Buffalo Sabres claimed defenseman Christian Wolanin off waivers on Saturday.
Wolanin, a 26-year-old with a left shot, was waived by the Los Angeles Kings and has appeared in 61 NHL games since he debuted with Ottawa in 2017-18. He had a standout performance during the IIHF World Championship last spring, recording one goal and six points in 10 games for the United States.
In a corresponding move, the Sabres placed Jokiharju on injured reserve. The 22-year-old right-shot defenseman will miss at least a few weeks after suffering a lower-body injury in the team's season-opening win over the Montreal Canadiens.
The Sabres will carry eight defensemen on the active roster: Wolanin, Rasmus Dahlin, Colin Miller, Jacob Bryson, Will Butcher, Mark Pysyk and Robert Hagg. Samuelsson is expected to resume practicing with the Sabres this week after missing the past month with a lower-body injury suffered during the Prospects Challenge.
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Wolanin, a fourth-round draft choice of Ottawa in 2015, appeared in a career-high 30 NHL games with the Senators in 2018-19, recording three assists and a minus-7 rating.
