Sabres' Nicolas Deslauriers: Returns to lineup

Deslauriers, who sat out the past two games as a healthy scratch, will center the fourth line against the Rangers on Thursday, the Olean Times Herald reports.

Not only will Deslauriers replace Cal O'Reilly in the lineup, he will play center for the first time in his career. Originally a defenseman, Deslauriers' skating ability and versatility has now seen him play every single position except goalie, and head coach Dan Bylsma believes that his strong work down low -- a key skill for any center -- will help with the transition. Don't expect Deslauriers to play much, however, as Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly will continue to take the key draws. The Sabres' lack of depth scoring has been a big problem this season, and playing Deslauriers at center is clearly an experiment. He has zero points and a minus-5 rating in 23 games this season, offering very little fantasy value other than his 67 hits.