Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Welp...back to center for Hodgson

hodgsongetty

James OBrien

From John Vogl of the Buffalo News, ahead of tonight’s Sabres-Hurricanes game in Carolina (on NBCSN):

Hodgson is expected to skate between wingers Chris Stewart and Marcus Foligno.

“A goal scorer needs someone to get him the puck, and right now with the center-ice situation we have, we can’t get [Hodgson] the puck,” Nolan explained, per the News. “Maybe put him with some bigger wingers, the wingers can get him the puck and he’ll have an opportunity to do his thing, that’s shoot and score.”

The Sabres started experimenting near the end of last season with Hodgson on the wing. At the time, it was a way to simplify things for the player, and also to take away some of the defensive responsibilities that are required of centers.

“He’s not known for his great defense, and we don’t want him to play great defense,” Nolan said in April. “We want him to score offensively. But you have to be reliable defensively. One thing about the wing position, it’s not as complicated as playing center ice.”

Hodgson has managed just one shot in Buffalo’s first three games. (It did not go in.)

Related: The Sabres might be even worse than last season