Sabres Activate Jason Zucker; Place Sam Carrick On IR

The Buffalo Sabres will get a little offensive jolt to their lineup tonight. According to a team announcement, the Sabres have activated veteran winger Jason Zucker from the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, Buffalo has moved forward Sam Carrick (middle-body) to the injured reserve.

Zucker’s activation isn’t necessarily a surprise. The 16-year veteran has been recovering from offseason sports hernia surgery and has been ramping up heavily over the past few weeks. On the flip side of the transaction, Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report reported this morning that Carrick, along with Justin Danforth, are considered day-to-day after seeing the team doctors.

Making his season debut tonight, Zucker will return from surgery, having missed only nine games. Injuries have become somewhat of a theme for Zucker recently, as the former second-round pick missed 20 games last season, including an 11-game absence in December.

It’s safe to say that the Sabres haven’t played as well during Zucker’s recent absence as they did last year. Buffalo is 4-3-2 ahead of tonight’s matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, sixth in the Atlantic Division. During Zucker’s 11-game absence last year, it was the same time that the Sabres turned their season around, earning a 10-1-0 record.

Still, aside from their improbable 10-game winning streak last season, Buffalo more than likely prefers to have Zucker in the lineup. In his first two years with the club, Zucker has scored 45 goals and 98 points in 135 games, showing his value as a secondary contributor.

Meanwhile, Carrick will depart from the roster for a short time. Because his injured reserve placement is retroactive to October 18th, Carrick is guaranteed to miss tonight and Buffalo’s upcoming contest against the Washington Capitals on Saturday.