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Buffalo Sabres Draft Picks: Second Round Busts

By Tim Redinger |
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Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A general view of the complete draft board after the completion of the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

There has been a lot written about what will happen with the Buffalo Sabres and their first round draft picks in the 2015 NHL Entry draft.  At one point they had three first round draft picks, their own, and the draft pick belonging to both the St. Louis Blues and the New York Islanders.

They have already traded away their latest first round draft pick, which will most likely be the St. Louis Blues pick, and may end up trading away the New York Islanders pick as well during the draft, if they can move up further in the draft, or pick up an NHL caliber player to further bolster their roster heading into next season.

What will the Buffalo Sabres do with their two remaining second round draft picks?  The Sabres once held three second round draft picks, their own, the New York Islanders, and the Los Angeles Kings.  The Kings reacquired their second round draft pick in the Brayden McNabb deal.

They might not all be busts, but they haven’t benefited the Buffalo Sabres on the ice – and with the exception of a minority, are no longer with the team.

With two second round draft picks the Buffalo Sabres have options.  They could bundle their pick – which will be almost like a late first round draft pick, and their remaining late first round draft pick to move up higher in the draft, still picking twice in the first round.

Or they could be greedy and stock the Rochester Americans with high caliber draft picks.  We have a new regime picking this year, but let’s take a look back in the salary cap era at the second round draft pick busts that made their way through Buffalo, but their history of picking in the second round of the salary cap era, has been less than stellar.

Next: Phillip Gogulla

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Phillip Gogulla – 48th Overall Selection, Buffalo Sabres 2005

With the 48th overall pick in the second round of 2005 the Buffalo Sabres select from Germany, Phillip Gogulla.

From HockeysFuture.com:

In the second round, the Sabres opted for the only German drafted in 2005 selecting Gogulla with the 48th pick. Gogulla was touted as good all-around winger who had good board skills and a good passing touch. His offensive skills were modest, but it was his two-way play and dedication to the game that the Sabres liked.

The Buffalo Sabres almost lost the rights to Gogulla after drafting him in 2005.  They waited until the last day of eligibility to sign him to an entry level – and they almost didn’t get the deal approved on time to maintain their rights to the player.  Phillip Gogulla was almost able to re-enter the NHL draft process for the 2007 Entry Draft.

Once the situation was figured out – and it was clear that Gogulla was property of the Buffalo Sabres, the team placed him on loan for the first two years of his deal to Kolner Haie, his DEL team.

After his third training camp- Gogulla stayed in North America – playing with the Buffalo Sabres affiliate, the Portland Pirates for the remaining year on his deal.  After it was clear that he would not be making an NHL squad, he returned to the DEL and signed a deal with Haie once again.

Next: Drew Schiestel

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Drew Schiestel – 59th Overall Selection, Buffalo Sabres 2007

With the 59th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Buffalo Sabres selected Drew Schiestel from Canada.

Despite being from North America, the highest Drew Schiestel could ever attain in North American was playing in the American Hockey League, where he played for the Buffalo Sabres affiliates the Portland Pirates and Rochester Americans.

Before the 2013-2014 season, he signed a one year free agent deal with the Hamilton Bulldogs – playing with in his hometown for one season.

Schiestel spent last season in Germany, playing in the DEL with Düsseldorfer EG.

If Mike Weber had a difficult time breaking the Buffalo Sabres defensive corp, then you can image how far down the depth chart that Schiestel found himself.  At best, if Schiestel remained in North America he would have topped out with an organizations AHL franchise.  In the DEL, he is likely playing with the same level of competition as he would in the American Hockey League, but without the stigma of not playing in the top league.

Schiestel’s best season in the AHL took place while he was with the Rochester Americans, scoring 5 goals, helping on 18, and ending the season with a =/- rating of +15. With the veteran presence on the blue line during his time with the Buffalo Sabres plus the emergence of bigger talents in later drafts – it is no surprise that Drew Schiestel would end up not making the NHL – which never gave him the chance to prove himself as an NHL defenseman. Could he still break into the National Hockey League, sure if there is a team that needs a depth defenseman, but odds are Schiestel won’t want to ride the bus leagues as he tries to gain traction with an NHL club.

Next: Luke Adam

Dec 5, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) protects the net as Buffalo Sabres center Luke Adam (72) and defenseman John Moore (17) fight for position during the second period at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Luke Adam 44th Overall Draft Pick – Buffalo Sabres 2008

The Buffalo Sabres have been relatively thin at center through the entire portion of this rebuild.  Luke Adam was supposed to be a part of the future of this organization, he had the size the Buffalo Sabres were lacking, and was slated to to be a big body the Buffalo Sabres could put in front of the net to distract defensemen and goaltenders. The only problem was, Luke Adam never played up to his size in the NHL.

The Buffalo Sabres gave Luke Adam several chances to crack the National Hockey League, and he never capitalized on them at the pro-level, despite showing signs of success in the American Hockey League. After getting four different shots with the Buffalo Sabres, the team decided they were not going to develop Luke Adam anymore, trading him in December of 2014 to the Columbus for Jerry D’Amigo.

The name Adam has appeared in less than 100 games in the National Hockey League, Luke Adam has appeared in 9o games between the Buffalo Sabres and the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his father played in eight games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1982-1983 season.

Will Luke Adam find his touch with the Columbus Blue Jackets, or will he continue to ride the bus in the American Hockey League?

Next: Mike Weber

Mar 11, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mike Weber (6) skates out with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Sabres 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Weber 57th Overall, Buffalo Sabres 2006

Poor Mike Weber.  He is probably the most successful of the second round picks that we could list here as the worst second round picks in the salary cap era for the Buffalo Sabres.  Since joining the team Mike Weber has been buried on a blue line that hasn’t been all that polished. Buried so much that fans took to a #freeweber campaign just to see him go from the press box to getting any ice time. Reaching back into the archives of twitter (they certainly didn’t stop back then, as the #freeweber campaign continued)

So why didn’t the Buffalo Sabres trade Mike Weber? Did they think they could turn him into a solid NHL defenseman?  Or maybe it was because no one else wanted to pick him up – I mean someone needed a depth defenseman at a deadline – was Mike Weber untouchable for some reason?

Maybe Darcy wanted a first rounder for him, and by the time Tim Murray’s era started, the line on Weber was he will never be a top six defenseman.

With a crop of young defenseman coming in to take over for the Buffalo Sabres, Mike Weber is in the uncomfortable spot of being the grizzled veteran – but how quickly will be be replaced?  The Buffalo Sabres have Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Zadorov, Zach Bogosian, and Mark Pysyk that will most likely be their top four defenseman.

Waiting in the wings are guys like Chad Ruhwedel, Jake McCabe, Drew Bagnall.

With the addition of any number of free agent defenseman that the Buffalo Sabres might be interested in to add more of a veteran presence – they could attract some decent rear guards with the addition of Jack Eichel; that might just push Mike Weber back into a seventh defenseman role.

This year was probably the best year for Mike Weber, but not necessarily just because of him.  He was a top defenseman on the team because, well there was no one else to play on a roster that was designed to not necessarily succeed much more than they did.

The Buffalo Sabres could have had Brad Marchand – who went in the third round of the 2006 draft.

Is this the end of the line for Mike Weber?  He is entering the final year of his contract with the Buffalo Sabres, and could easily be moved at the draft or the trade deadline depending on the Buffalo Sabres plans for him.

Next: Brendan Lemieux

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Brendan Lemieux – 31st Overall, Buffalo Sabres 2014

Lemieux was one selection away from being taken in the first round.  But he would never play a game for the Buffalo Sabres organization at any level.

Rumors are he wouldn’t sign a deal with the Buffalo Sabres, which is what prompted his being included in the trade that brought the Buffalo Sabres Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian.  Believe it if you will, but the Buffalo Sabres wanted that trade and would be willing to part ways with any player or prospect that would have landed them the deal.

It is yet to be seen how well the NHL career will pan out for Lemieux, who is still playing with the Barrie Colts of the OHL.

Even if he has a good career in the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres made a good deal here, bringing high caliber NHL ready players to the organization.  Brendan Lemieux is not a bust, but a second round pick the Buffalo Sabres could part with to make them a better franchize.

Next: Should Buffalo Re-Sign Phil Varone?

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