Riley Sheahan’s second stint in Buffalo has come to an end.
Sheahan, a 30-year-old forward, was placed on unconditional waivers by the Sabres on Sunday with the intent to terminate his contract. He was assigned to the Rochester Americans five days earlier when General Manager Kevyn Adams had to create a roster spot in Buffalo for defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.
However, Sheahan soon notified Adams that he wasn’t comfortable reporting to Rochester and wanted to pursue an opportunity elsewhere. The two met Friday over breakfast where Adams told Sheahan to take time to discuss the decision with family. In the end, Sheahan still wanted a change.
It’s a hit to the Sabres’ NHL-capable forward depth. Most of the Amerks’ forwards aren’t ready for a call-up except Sean Malone, Brett Murray, Anders Bjork and Brandon Biro, the latter of whom has been out of Rochester's lineup with an injury since Nov. 11.
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Sheahan will be an unrestricted free agent if he's not claimed by another NHL team by Monday at 2 p.m.
“It’s something you think a lot about, and we'll always be open to working on what's out there,” Adams told The Buffalo News on Sunday. “Is there a way to add to it? It's something we talk about every single day, so that doesn't change. But we've gotten positive news on the health side with Brandon Biro, who I think was playing tremendous in Rochester before he was hurt.
“So, you're always looking at how guys are performing. And you've seen guys step up in Rochester. So, I have comfort that we have depth. We have guys that can play. What I always want to be careful of is putting some of the young guys there (in a spot to get rushed to the NHL). Just making sure that we don't disrupt where their development curve is at because we've seen big strides.”
A 12-year veteran of the NHL, Sheahan rejoined the Sabres on a one-year, two-way contract in August that was going to pay him $375,000 in Rochester or $950,000 in Buffalo.
His return didn’t begin as planned, though. Sheahan suffered an injury in training camp that caused him to start the season on injured reserve. The Sabres then sent him to Rochester for six games, only to recall him back to the NHL because of injuries at forward.
Sheahan didn’t play well when back in Buffalo’s lineup – his offensive-zone penalty in Toronto led to a power-play goal for the Leafs in a 5-2 loss on Nov. 19 – and he had zero points in two games. With forwards returning to health and Tyson Jost claimed off waivers from Minnesota, it became clear that Sheahan wasn’t going to get an opportunity in Buffalo anytime soon.
Sheahan was technically a healthy scratch for Rochester on Friday and Saturday.
Jost, 24, is a better fit for the Sabres given his upside as a high draft pick in 2016 and his speed has immediately bolstered the club’s penalty kill, which converted at a league-worst rate of 60% during a recent eight-game losing streak.
Given the abundance of prospects in Rochester, and the Sabres’ forward depth, Sheahan didn’t see a route to consistent ice time in the NHL and chose to continue his career elsewhere. A first-round draft pick in 2016, he’s totaled 74 goals and 120 points in 637 regular-season games in the league. The St. Catharines native first signed with Buffalo for the 2020-21 season and appeared in 53 games.
Sheahan then played with the Seattle Kraken in 2021-22 before returning to Buffalo late this summer. On a recent episode of his podcast, Speak Your Mind, Sheahan explained that he was likely going to sign in Europe before the Sabres offered him a contract.
Injury update
Sabres forward Rasmus Asplund returned to practice Sunday and received clearance to rejoin the lineup, possibly as soon as Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Asplund, 24, missed the past two games with a lower-body injury. He has two goals and six points while averaging 12:21 of ice time in 13 games this season. Defenseman Jacob Bryson remains week to week with an upper-body injury that he suffered Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues.
