Buffalo Sabres Roster: Is Larsson or Legwand Better For The Third Line?
The Buffalo Sabres have the great dilemma of having to choose the best roster from a set of great veteran players and promising young stars. Among those choices will have to be a choice made about Johan Larsson and David Legwand. Both players have the capability to play above a fourth line role, so it only makes sense to assume they will play on the third line or higher. For argument’s sake, let’s say that they will be battling for the third line. Who would be better off playing there?
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David Legwand is a proven NHL player and is a great veteran presence, but in the end, he was added to the Sabres roster in order to guarantee that Robin Lehner would be in a Sabres uniform this coming season. Acquired as the secondary asset in the trade with the Ottawa Senators, Legwand has something to prove in order to make the Buffalo Sabres roster.
Johan Larsson is one of Buffalo’s younger talents with some great two-way promise. He was called up to the Sabres last year and played 39 games; a good portion of those were played on the second or first line in the absence of Zemgus Girgensons. In the time Larsson spent with the Buffalo Sabres, he proved himself to be a strong possession player and a great defensive forward asset overall.
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With those kinds of players competing for the same role, which one is better for the job? Should it be the young man with some promise, or the proven veteran? With Larsson there is still uncertainty. He could play as well as he did last season and prove that he is an NHL ready player at the young age of 23, or he could flake out and lose his position to Legwand (or even another young center prospect). With Legwand, the Buffalo Sabres are guaranteed to have a consistent NHL caliber player every night.
The logical choice is Legwand for sure, but I am not the one who always goes for the logical choice.
For a team that worked through the tough times the past two seasons, the Buffalo Sabres are going to need two key elements in their lineup, chemistry and familiarity. Johan Larsson has already played with a majority of the players guaranteed their roster spots, and Legwand is the new “kid” on the block. Though he will be welcomed with open arms, he is not as familiar with the play style of the other players.
Johan Larsson signed a one year contract with the Buffalo Sabres this offseason, and that is an indication that this is the year he needs to prove himself. Legwand will most likely be traded away to another team looking for some veteran center depth anyways.
Giving the third line center slot to Johan Larsson makes much more sense to me, and I am willing to take a risk on him being as good as he was last season. I have faith that he can do just as well this coming season, especially playing with a good veteran player like Brian Gionta, or a young talent like Sam Reinhart.
Give Larsson his shot Coach Bylsma!
Next: Buffalo Sabres Lineup: The First Forward Line
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