Trio of Ex-Leafs Land in Buffalo, Announce Their Jersey Numbers with Sabres

The Sabres have inked all of James Reimer, Sam Lafferty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel to new deals in free agency this summer and here are the jersey numbers they'll don this season.

Depth forward Aube-Kubel stayed with the Leafs for a cup of coffee, playing only six games in 2022-2023 before being put on waivers and then getting claimed by the Washington Capitals. Aube-Kubel will wear number 96 in Buffalo, a number he has worn throughout his career. He becomes just the 2nd Buffalo Sabre of all-time to wear #96, with the other being Anders Bjork from 2021-2023.

Lafferty is a bottom six forward who also played for the Leafs in 2022-2023. He was part of the trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that also brought defenseman Jake McCabe to Toronto. While effective, his cap hit was too high for the role he had on the team at the time and was dealt to Vancouver to create a roster slot for Fraser Minten, who impressed the Leafs in training camp.

Lafferty will wear #81 for the first time in his career this season. He has previously worn the numbers 37, 18, 24 and 28. Only four players have worn #81 in Buffalo, but none more notable than Miroslav Satan.

The most significant player of this group is, of course, former Leafs goalie James Reimer, who has stuck with #47 over the past few seasons, after wearing #34 with the Panthers, Sharks and Leafs. Reimer has stuck with #47 yet again. Four players in Buffalo have worn that number, including another ex-Leaf, Zach Bogosian.

Reimer, a 4th round draft pick by the Maple Leafs in 2006, was a pleasant surprise and when he broke into the league during the 2010-2011 season. Over the next 5 years, he'd go on to play over 200 games for the Leafs and had a save percentage well above .900.

With several ex-Leafs now in the fold in Buffalo, we can look forward to having a trio of former players with a heated division rival, who are all but guaranteed to put up points against the Buds this season. As is tradition.

Source for Sabres jersey number history: Hockey-Reference
Buffalo Sabres all-time jersey number info