Buffalo Sabres Roster: Who Is The Best Seventh Defenseman Option?
With the top six defensemen pretty much chosen for next season, there are still a couple of defensemen left in the mix to round out the core should injuries ensue. The Buffalo Sabres are a little thin on defensive depth, but they do have some decent options for a defenseman to rotate in and out of the lineup. The two best options that I say are Mike Weber and Carlo Colaiacovo.
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Mike Weber is currently the longest standing member of the Buffalo Sabres left from the Darcy Regier era, and there is a reason for that. Weber has been one of the steadiest defenders for Buffalo throughout his career and has only played poorly when he was asked to do more than he was capable of.
Mike Weber is a steady top six defenseman, but has never been able to play a role above the 5th or 6th defenseman. He is very stable when playing his role and he does it with a passion. That is one thing that Weber is never short of.
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He has defending skills that are truly valuable. He can shot block with the efficiency of Josh Gorges, but can also throw hits on the best in the league. He is no slouch either as he is not afraid to drop the mitts to defend his teammates or to spark some life in the game.
Mike Weber is not an offensive defenseman, but he does have the skills to round out a defensive core. I say to use him as the seventh defenseman to rotate in and out with Jake McCabe in the bottom pairing. McCabe is more than ready for the NHL, but he may need some nights off due some inevitable lackluster performances, same rule applies for Mark Pysyk. Since the two younger defensemen will most likely be in the lineup, there needs to be another solid seventh man option.
The man to fill that second option is free agent acquisition Carlo Colaiacovo.
Carlo Colaiacovo is a seasoned 32 year old defenseman with a solid bottom six pedigree. In his 13 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers Colaiacovo has never played more than a 6th or 7th defenseman role. With his reliability from the back end, he will be good support for the Buffalo Sabres should they need it.
Though I assume he will be starting the year in Rochester, I would not be shocked to see him crack the lineup early in the season. He can still play very well in the NHL and was a great pickup for Tim Murray to round out the defense.
I put Colaiacovo below Mike Weber on the list because Weber has more marketable skills and is less of an everything defenseman and more of a stay-at-home kind of defender. That particular set of skills why Mike Weber is the best seventh defenseman option for the Buffalo Sabres next season.
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