Buffalo Sabres place defenseman Jacob Bryson in COVID protocol

The Buffalo Sabres have made a few transactions Wednesday after Jacob Bryson entered the COVID protocol. The team has recalled Casey Fitzgerald to the active roster while moving Ethan Prow up to the taxi squad.

Bryson joins Vinnie Hinostroza, Zemgus Girgensons, Jeff Skinner, Mark Jankowski, Dylan Cozens and head coach Don Granato in the protocol, who will all be unavailable for Wednesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Like any team trying to play through a COVID outbreak, it will drastically limit the depth available for the Sabres as they restart their season.

Bryson, 24, has played in 29 games for the Sabres this season, quietly establishing himself as a reliable option for the team on defense. The undersized skater is averaging almost 20 minutes a night and has seven points in those 29 games.

Notably, Fitzgerald will be playing in front of a familiar face Wednesday as the Sabres take on the Devils. Tom Fitzgerald was in the crowd as a supportive father for Casey’s NHL debut earlier this season but will now watch as the general manager of the opponent. Tom played nearly 1,100 games in the NHL. Casey’s working on No. 2.