Buffalo Sabres Draft Picks: Second Round Busts

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