The Buffalo Sabres made a pair of noteworthy moves on Tuesday, waiving veteran forward Matt Ellis while sending Joel Armia -- their first-round pick (16th overall) at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft -- to their minor-league affiliate in Rochester.
Ellis, 33, is a veteran of over 300 NHL contests, including 50 last year for Buffalo (in which he scored four goals and six points). The former Red Wing and King has been with the Sabres since the 2008-09 campaign, and scored a career-high 13 points during the ’09-10 season.
Armia, who missed time last season with a broken hand, was up-and-down in his first American League campaign, scoring 27 points in 54 games before breaking out with three goals and six points in five playoff contests. While he’s one of just three top-20 picks from the ’11 Draft yet to make his NHL debut (Colorado’s Duncan Siemens and Chicago’s Mark McNeill are the others), Armia only turned 21 in May and could be in line for a call-up this season.