The Buffalo Sabers find themselves in an unfamiliar situation in the 2023-24 season, and that’s a crowded list. General Manager Kevin Adams will likely try to upgrade his team in small ways via trade or free agency this summer, but over the past few years he’s also stockpiled an impressive pool of prospects through the draft. Players like Owen Power, Jack Quinn, and JJ Peterka has criticized to get into the NHL full-time, but with their rise came the struggle to bring new, young talent behind them. Players like Isak Rosen, Jiri Kulich, and Matt Savoie are all planning to be strong players in the NHL, but due to the impasse in the Sabers’ offense, they will struggle to make it into the NHL lineup anytime soon.
With these factors in mind, the Sabers have eight total draft picks in the 2023 NHL Draft, and three are in the first two rounds. Many of these players will take time to develop, but since Buffalo has so much young talent on their main roster already, they need to look long term to understand what roles need to be filled, and which prospects can take on those roles. It’s not just about picking the best player available anymore when the draft comes around, it’s about finding players who will grow and contribute to the culture they’ve built, and having them be patient when it comes to making their way to the NHL. There are some great choices to be made at each center, and they have enough stock to take in everyone they need in the future.
Sabers’ best goaltending choice: Alexander Helnymo
The Sabers don’t particularly need another young goaltender in their system right now, but Adams may still be looking into adding some depth to the position since their prospect mostly graduated to the NHL. Devon Levy and Oko-Pekka Lokonen are likely to crack next season, and their other star player, Topias Leinonen, still needs a few years of development before he ever sees a game in the NHL. Adding a new young goalkeeper like Alexander Hellnemo would be ideal for them since he already has a valid contract to play in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for another two years, so they have time to let him develop there as Levi and Lokonen battle it out. to the starting position.
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Hellnemo is one of the best European goalkeepers, so it is likely that he will be taken in the half rounds of the draft. The Sabers have a late third-round pick and a fourth-round pick that they can use to bring him into their organization, and they’d be smart to do so. In his nine game stint with Skelleftea AIK of the SHL, he posted a 5-3-0 record and added a 2.35 goals against average (GAA) and 895 save percentage (SV%). He stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 183 pounds, so he doesn’t have much left to do. He’s the ideal choice for a goaltender because he’ll take time to develop and bring to North America, and by the time he should be ready, Buffalo will have figured out whether or not they need a new goaltender.
Sabers’ Best Defensive Option: Tom Wilander
The Sabers need to address their defensive issues now, and they’ll have plenty of options when free agency rolls around to pick one or more defenders, but that doesn’t mean they have to get away with picking one in the draft. They desperately need to add more to their potential defensive pool and Wilander would be the perfect fit. while they did Recently signed Vsevolod Komarov And Rian Johnson to their entry-level deals, they still need some physical defenders in their system.
Wilander fits the bill perfectly in this regard. An imposing physical defender with some offensive instincts, he is a right-handed kicker, which the Sabers sorely lack in the depth chart. He’s committed to Boston University for the 2023-24 season, so he’ll be on an evolving development system, and will be able to hone his skills as he adjusts to the North American game and rink size. He is expected to be a mid-to-late first round pick and the 13th overall Buffalo pick. While there are a few good defensive options for them to choose there, he will likely be available, and they can even compromise his selection if they see fit. It checks all the boxes for what they need two or three years down the road, and it fits their system really well.
Sabers’ best forward option: Charlie Stramel
The Sabers have a lot of fast forwards who are on the smaller side, so they need to add some forward talent along with some physical strength to them. Charlie Stramel is the kind of player who will reliably go to the front of the net to cause some trouble for the Internet Maker’s opponents. Having his skill set on the roster would only give them additional offensive options to take advantage of. He is unlikely to fight for the top six round even when fully developed, but his skill set would be well suited to rounding out the bottom six.
Stramel will be available in the second round of this year’s draft and it would be wise for Buffalo to use one of their picks on him. He’s a stand-up teammate, and has the right size to compete well in the NHL at 6-foot-3 and weighs 216 pounds. The best is that it will likely need three or four years of development, so a saber can work a little extra patience with it. Once he’s ready to fight for a spot in the NHL, don’t expect him to make waves on the score sheet, but rather expect him to step up and perform the physical plays that most players shy away from. It wouldn’t hurt to have a guy with a lot of personality in their system while they continue to build their pool of prospects back up.
Saber’s long-term success is the priority
Some teams in the NHL trade in as many prospects and draft cuts as they can to “win now” and while that has an edge, the Sabers have taken a much different approach over the past few years. They tend to preserve and develop their horizons, and stick to draft options so they can add to the depth chart organically rather than outwardly. Picking these players above would allow them to keep the roster they currently have, and find ways to bring already top prospects into the NHL without rushing any of them.
Since they are no longer in rebuilding mode, the focus has shifted to winning hockey games and pressing for the playoffs on a regular basis. They already have some of their biggest pieces locked and are finishing development on some others, but they’re getting very close to achieving their goals of breaking the playoff drought. For now, the Swordsmen need to continue to craft smartly and trust their development team to make the right decisions with their prospects.