The Buffalo Sabres began establishing their regular-season roster on Thursday by placing three players on waivers, including defenseman Adam Pardy.
Also placed on the 24-hour waiver list were minor-league forwards Nick Tarnasky and Kevin Porter, a person familiar with the decisions told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Sabres have not announced the moves.
NHL teams had until noon Thursday to waive players before they can set their 23-man regular-season rosters on Friday. Buffalo opens the season hosting Philadelphia on Sunday.
Pardy is a three-year NHL veteran who was acquired along with center Steve Ott in a trade in which the Sabres dealt Derek Roy to Dallas in July. He proved to be the odd-man out on a Sabres roster that is now down to eight defensemen.
Pardy's departure leaves Buffalo with 25 players. That includes forwards Nathan Gerbe (back) and Cody McCormick (finger), who spent this past week practicing but have not yet been cleared for contact. Both could open the season in the injured reserve list.
General manager Darcy Regier hasn't ruled out the possibility of trading a defenseman to free up his roster further.
If the waived players go unclaimed, they will be re-assigned to Rochester, Buffalo's AHL affiliate.
Tarnasky and Porter have spent this season playing in Rochester, but their futures were placed in limbo once the NHL lockout was lifted last weekend. As a result of how their contracts are structured, both have to clear waivers before they can continue playing in Rochester.
Porter, college hockey's 2008 Hobey Baker award winner, signed with Buffalo last summer. He has 25 goals and 20 assists in 163 career NHL games over five seasons split between Phoenix and Colorado.
