The Buffalo Sabres picked up a couple of extra players for their trek to the land of Tre Kronor.
Before their private jet took flight from Buffalo to Stockholm on Sunday afternoon, the Sabres called up defenseman Lawrence Pilut and goaltender Andrew Hammond.
@BuffaloSabres have placed Marco Scandella in injured reserve
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 3, 2019
The Sabres also made an intriguing roster move by placing defenseman Marco Scandella on injured reserve.
Pilut was activated off injured reserve last weekend after he successfully rehabbed his surgically repaired shoulder. Pilut underwent shoulder surgery last spring.
In 2018-19, his first in North America, Pilut scored 1 goals and 5 assists in 33 NHL games and 26 points in 30 AHL games.
In eight games with the Rochester Americans this season, Pilut has scored a goal and five assists.
Pilut, the Tingsryd, Sweden native, was undrafted by an NHL club. Sabres GM Jason Botterill signed Pilut as a free agent in teh summer of 2018. Pilut leads all Amerks defensemen and is third on the team with 0.75 points per game this season.
Hammond, aka "The Hamburglar", signed with the Sabres on July 1. Hammond is 5-1-1 in eight appearances with the Amerks this season. His five wins are tied for third-most in the AHL.
The Sabres will have a four days off in Stockholm before playing the Tampa Bay Lightning Friday and Saturday. Ralph Krueger and his coaches will use their time between games wisely to drill the fundamentals of their defensive system and power play.
With Pilut in the fold, the Sabres are now carrying eight defenseman on their roster. They are:
Rasmus Dahlin Rasmus Ristolainen Jake McCabe Brandon Montour Colin Miller Henri Jokiharju John Gilmour Larence Pilut
Scandella sustained a lower-body injury during the Sabres' 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers on October 24 and has missed the past four games.
Scandella's injury was originally believed to be a short term situation. The need to pack a full roster to play in another country likely played a key factor in whether Scandella made the roster for the games in Sweden or not.
Scandella has been the subject of intense trade rumors for the past month. The rumors will only intensify now that Brandon Montour and Lawrence Pilut are fully healthy for the first time this season and John Gilmour has proven to teh coaches that he can be a trusted 6-7D. Montour made his season debut for the Sabres on Saturday night against the NY Islanders. Montour missed the first 14 games of the season with a hand injury.
With Pilut back on the Buffalo roster, the Sabres now have six Swdeish-born players on their roster in Rasmus Dahlin, Marcus Johansson, Victor Olofsson, Linus Ullmark, Johan Larsson and Lawrence Pilut.
Pilut will travel with the Sabres. Whether he plays in a game or not doesn’t matter. Pilut will be on his nature soil soaking in the NHL experience.
Dahlin, Johansson, Olofsson, Ullmark, Larsson, Pilut are heading home and will educate their #Sabres50 teammates in Swedish culture 🇸🇪 #SwedishMafia @BuffaloSabres #NHLSE #twittpuck https://t.co/WQDS0l7OyD
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 4, 2019
Next stop: Stockholm, Sweden
Sweden, here we come! #Sabres50 | #NHLGlobalSeries pic.twitter.com/bS9ItEuPip
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 4, 2019
Montour about to take lunch money from the kids at the lunch table #Sabres50 pic.twitter.com/hsD5AXMh4w
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 4, 2019
Hutton protecting his paint #Sabres50 pic.twitter.com/M1f3MaTFx6
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 4, 2019