The Buffalo Sabres announced some jersey number assignments for the upcoming 2025-26 regular season and a rare number swap among teammates on Thursday, as the club’s training camp will open after next week’s Prospect Challenge at the LECOM HarborCenter.
For the players acquired in the trade that sent winger JJ Peterka to Utah, defenseman Michael Kesselring will wear #8 (which was worn last season by Buffalo native Dennis Gilbert), and winger Josh Doan will wear #91, the same number he wore for two seasons in Arizona/Utah and the mirror image of his father Shane Doan’s #19. The only player to wear #91 in Buffalo history is forward Drake Caggiula in 2021 and 2022. Defenseman Conor Timmins (acquired in a deal with Pittsburgh) will wear #21, last worn by former Buffalo captain Kyle Okposo.
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In the Sabres free agent class, forward Justin Danforth will wear #15, switching from #17, which he wore for four seasons in Columbus (the last player to wear #15 was former Amerk Brandon Biro), former Ranger Zachary Jones will wear longtime Sabre Zemgus Girgensons #28, and goalie Alex Lyon will wear #34, last worn by Jonas Johansson in 2020-21.
In number switches, youngster Noah Ostlund will swap #36 for #86 this season, and newly acquired center Josh Norris will surrender #13 for #9, which he wore in Ottawa for five seasons. Zach Benson, who donned #9 for his first two seasons in Buffalo and throughout his junior career in Winnipeg, will switch to #6, becoming the first full-time forward to wear that number in the 55-year history of the franchise. Hall-of-fame defenseman Phil Housley played briefly at center as an 18-year-old rookie in 1982-83.
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