Buffalo Sabres Players: Where Mark Pysyk Fits In

Recently, the Buffalo Sabres had signed defenseman Mark Pysyk to a two year $2.25M contract, and it is a sure sign that he will be turning full pro and playing on the Sabres Roster. After a promising 2014-15 regular season in both the AHL and the NHL Pysyk has earned his spot on the Sabres defense.

Related – Sabres Projected Offensive Pairings

Mark Pysyk played only seven games with the Sabres last season, but in those seven games he was a fantastic shut down defender. He was so good in fact that Tim Murray sent him back to the farm as fast as he could. He did so in order to let Pysyk finalize his skills and stay consistent, but also to allow Buffalo to lose some more games (let’s not kid ourselves on that).

During that span of seven games, Pysyk scored 2 goals and had 1 assist for three points, and also had a plus-minus of +4. Yes you read that correctly. He was playing so well in his seven games, that he was a plus. That small accomplishment in a season where Buffalo had terrible possession numbers is a key to why Pysyk deserves his promotion.

Pysyk is in the top two for most NHL ready young defenders in the Buffalo Sabres system (right behind Rasmus Ristolainen) and I expect him to do very well in his role. The question though is, what that role of his actually is.

Coach Dan Bylsma could be thinking of using Pysyk as a third line shutdown defenseman or as the seventh defenseman. I honestly think that he can play in the top 5 of the sabres defense. Rather than being the #6 or #7 defenseman that gets rotated in and out of the lineup, he deserves to have a solidified role.

Mark Pysyk excels in his positioning and his shutdown defensive style of game. He is the defenseman that can do all of the little things in his own end and then be in the right place to make an offensive turnaround. He won’t be scoring a lot of goals, but he is capable of making offensive plays. What makes him a great asset on defense is the fact that he focuses on the defensive zone first.

So where does he fit into this team?

Mark Pysyk is more than ready for the NHL and if he plays anywhere besides there, it would be an outrage in my opinion. A player that can play so consistent and so well deserves his slot on the big team. I do not think Pysyk is a top two defenseman, but he can hold down the third line very well. If there are injuries above his slot, he would be very capable of stepping up into the top 4 as well.

A player that would mesh very well with him would be Jake McCabe. They both have experience playing with each other in the AHL, and their styles of game compliment each other perfectly. Pysyk is the smooth steady defenseman, while McCabe is also a defensive defender. The difference is that McCabe can produce a little more offensively. With both players defensively responsible, it will give Buffalo a very strong third defensive pairing.

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