(Photo: Melissa Kania)
7. The McEichel Factor
The other question going forward for the Buffalo Sabres – and arguably, the one that will be answered first – is this: will the Buffalo Sabres select Jack Eichel or Connor McDavid at this year’s NHL Draft? And to expand the question further into next season — what will either of those players do with their rookie season in the NHL?
Assuming the Sabres finish this season 30th in the league, they’ll likely be looking at one of the two players on their roster next season. The first question is: which one?
McDavid and Eichel have consistently been ranked the top 2 players heading into the draft, often flip-flopping between first and second, but ultimately, the rankings don’t matter. All that matters is which name comes out of Tim Murray’s mouth at the podium that day in Sunrise.
After that, the question becomes: what will they do? Coupled with Reinhart, Ennis, possibly Grigorenko, etc., a top prospect will become the focus of next season for the Buffalo Sabres. Though I wouldn’t count on anyone bringing us a Stanley Cup quite yet, the pressure will be there for the player to excel immediately. Personally, I’m just excited to see what either of those guys can bring to the NHL, given their successes in college hockey and the Ontario Hockey League.
So there you have it – seven questions facing the Buffalo Sabres in the days, weeks, months that lie ahead. Keep watching as the rebuild process continues and the team keeps moving forward…
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