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Buffalo Sabres Players: The Versatility of Jamie McGinn

By Jacob D. Strozyk

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Jamie McGinn was acquired as a secondary asset to Ryan O’Reilly in the trade that sent Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Zadorov, and a second round pick to the Colorado Avalanche and it seemed like he was so quickly slotted to a bottom six role. While it is a fair assumption that he will end up on the third or fourth line, he has skills that will help the Sabres overall offensive depth.

Related – Forward Depth Issues A Thing Of the Past In Buffalo

Jamie McGinn is a large left wing player that plays a good grinder/power forward role on his team. With the ability and willingness to throw his weight around he is a great compliment to anyone in the Sabres bottom six.

On top of his physical ability, McGinn has a very solid scoring touch to him as well. He has a career high of 19 goals and 19 assists in a single season, which was accomplished only two seasons ago with the Colorado Avalanche. Nineteen goals is not top line numbers for sure, but on a Buffalo Sabres team that had almost no depth scoring whatsoever, even 15 goals from a third line player like him would be highly welcomed.

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With the Sabres having some young players ready to come up to the NHL and play full time, where exactly does Jamie McGinn fit in? I say to let him play alongside Zemgus Girgensons on the second line to start the year off. Those two with either Tyler Ennis or Matt Moulson would be a line of hard working players with good finishing ability.

Is putting him on the second line a little above his pay grade? Perhaps it is, but for the start of the season before Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart have found their bearings in the NHL it is not a bad place for McGinn to be. He would mesh very well with the play style of Zemgus Girgensons and would be great support to him overall.

Though McGinn is not the best shot on the team, he would also be a decent secondary option for the power play. Should some of the primary Sabres power play members go down with injuries Jamie McGinn would be a great option for Buffalo to have and throw in front of the net (a play style that I still think Marcus Foligno or Zemgus Girgensons should adopt if they are on the power play).

Despite being the second asset in the O’Reilly trade, Jamie McGinn is still a relatively valuable asset. Not just because of what he brings on the ice, but also for what kind of trade value he brings. Similar to what I said in a previous article about David Legwand, Jamie McGinn has a very good amount of trade value.

As playoff bound teams head into the postseason, they will be looking for depth forwards to help carry the bottom two lines and add scoring depth. That is exactly what kind of player McGinn is. A depth scoring winger that can help boost a team’s offense from hard work and finishing ability. In the end, McGinn could mean upwards of a second round pick, or a less developed prospect at the trade deadline to the Buffalo Sabres.

The more he produces, the better for the Sabres both in the season and in the long run.

Next: Who Wore It For The Sabres: #72?

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