Buffalo Sabres Players: Predicting The Top Rookie Player

By Jacob D. Strozyk | Sep 9, 2015

As we move along in this series, the topic of the rookies that are most likely to make the team was bound to come up. The Buffalo Sabres have a great crop of young talent that will be cracking the NHL roster by opening night. By taking a close look at their individual play styles, and their overall skill sets, we can determine which of them will have the best season.

Related – Predicting The Sabres Top Setup Man

The main choices for this piece are going to be Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Mark Pysyk. All three of these players have the best chances to make the opening night roster based on their skills, and the praise shown towards them by Tim Murray.

Each one of them brings a different set of skills to the table, so in order to determine which one of them will have the best season, we have to look primarily at individual success and the potential to grow further as the season progresses.

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Jack Eichel is the undoubted top talent in the Sabres prospect pool. His speed, size, and scoring touch are all what make him lethal to opposing defenses, and that is exactly what he is expected to do next year. He already has an NHL frame (6’2 198lbs) and he is capable of playing with other men due to his college experience.

Eichel is a power forward style goal scoring player. He is a solid combination of those two play styles that he has drawn comparisons to Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks. His success will be determined by the number of point he produces, and how his hockey IQ grows so he can take over the top line center position in the near future.

Sam Reinhart spent last season primarily in the CHL. In his time there, he was working on bulking up to gain a much more NHL friendly frame. During his nine game stint with the Buffalo Sabres at the start of last season, he seemed like a boy amongst men. He was being pushed around and had no support to allow his hockey IQ to flourish.

Reinhart is an intelligent two-way playmaking forward. His success will come from his ability to gain assists while also being one of the better defensively responsible forwards. His praise comes from his ability to be in the right place at the right time, so in order for him to have the most successful year, he will need to have great two-way stats and further develop his playmaking skills.

Mark Pysyk had a brief call up to the Buffalo Sabres last year where he dazzled with his keen defensive ability and gained so much praise from General Manager Tim Murray that he was sent down to Rochester very quickly. This move was made to help the Sabres secure a lower spot in the standings, and in the end it was understood that Pysyk was more than ready for the NHL,

Pysyk’s skill is in his ability to shut down good players. He is very defensively responsible and is rarely out of position. In order for Pysyk to take the trophy for best season amongst the rookies , he will need to further develop his skills so he can take over a top four role on the defense.

All three of these players are great young talents, and that makes this prediction a little tougher.

I am going to have to give the edge and the trophy to Sam Reinhart. He has worked very hard all year long to get his NHL spot, and his defensive skills are more developed than Eichel’s. Eichel may score more points, but Reinhart’s two-way play will prove to be much more valuable in the end. He also edges out Pysyk for the sake of the difficulty in being an NHL defenseman.

Who do you all think has the shot at the best season?

Next: Predicting The Sabres Top Shot Blocker

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