Did Fans Force the Buffalo Sabres to Make This Surprising Change?

The Buffalo Sabres kick off training camp today. It's hard to believe that hockey season is back once again.

The first regular-season game, which is also the home opener, will be Thursday, October 14th against the Montreat Canadiens at the KeyBank Center.

Plenty of changes to the Sabres roster this season. New players include defenseman Will Butcher, defenseman Robert Hagg, defenseman Mark Pysyk, forward Vinnie Hinostroza, goaltender Craig Anderson and fellow goaltender, Aaron Dell.

Dell will likely split time between Buffalo and Rochester, but he made headlines with Sabres Twitter last week when the Sabres revealed that he would be wearing number 30 for the 2021-2022 season.

That's notable because that's the same number beloved former Sabres goalie Ryan Miller wore in his 11 years as a Sabre.

To say Sabres fans were upset on social media would be an understatement. There was a lot of frustration. However, Dell's number 30 didn't stick very long -- just nine days ago, in fact.

It was revealed on Tuesday that Dell would wear number 80 this season, instead.

Did Sabres fans force the Sabres organization to change Dell''s number? Why else would they have changed it so quickly?

I agree with the change. Miller is loved in Buffalo and the all-time leader in wins for American-born NHL goaltenders. Giving his jersey number to a journeyman backup, not the best way to win over the fans again.

The Sabres lost forward Sam Reinhart, defenseman Jake McCabe, goaltender Linus Ullmark and goaltender Carter Hutton; but notably, they still have captain Jack Eichel on the roster. Eichel has made it known he would like to be traded, but Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams did not get a trade offer he liked, so Eichel, for now, is still in Buffalo.