Buffalo Sabres Players: Predicting The Top Shot Blocker

If I take a good look at the players on the Buffalo Sabres roster, there are not too many proficient shot blocking players. On the other hand though, the players that do block shots often are quite good at doing so. Last year, the Buffalo Sabres had two top level shot blockers in Josh Gorges and Mike Weber as they both tallied over 145 blocked shots, but will they both be on my list for this coming year?

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As many fans know, blocking shots in the NHL is not only very risky, but very difficult to do. To willingly throw your body in the way of a vulcanized rubber disk moving at speeds of 85MPH or more takes a lot of guts and grit to pull off. Last season, the Buffalo Sabres had four players on their roster notch over 100 blocked shots. Those players were Josh Gorges, Mike Weber, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Tyson Strachen.

My three choices for whom will be the top shot block leader for Buffalo are Josh Gorges, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Zach Bogosian.

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Josh Gorges is the obvious choice for this list for the sake of his track record. Being known as one of the best shot blocking talents in the league, and having a fearless mentality combine to make him the perfect candidate for this list. Last season, Josh Gorges posted a total of 148 blocked shots in only 46 games played. That’s good enough for 3.22 shots blocked per game, and a whopping 8.64 shots per 60 minutes spent on the ice. Both averages were best on the team, while his total shots blocked were only second to Mike Weber.

If Gorges had stayed healthy, he would have ran away with the shot block title, as he was fighting for the league lead in blocked shots early last season while he was healthy.

Zach Bogosian played a little bit of a different style of game while he was in Winnipeg, but he changed gears when he was traded to Buffalo in order to fit the top defenseman role. If he wants to maintain that spot for this year, Bogosian will need to step up and block more shots. His 90 blocks last year are still reasonable, but he needs to do much better in his shutdown role. I expect him to challenge for the Sabres lead, especially if Gorges gets hurt again.

Rasmus Ristolainen was one of the top three shot blockers for the Buffalo Sabres last season, and that is a great sign for his development. Since he is being primed to become the top defenseman on the Buffalo Sabres roster, rounding out his game is one of the most important things he needs to do. By having the ability to score down well, his defensive positioning improving, and his shot block count rising, Ristolainen will be expected to be more than he was last year.

Now, I have mentioned Mike weber a few times in this article already, but why did I not include him on my list? The issue for me is his probable playing time throughout the course of the year..

For starters, there is no assurance that Mike Weber will be a full time top six defender for the Buffalo Sabres. What Bogosian, Gorges, and Ristolainen have over Weber is a top six spot guaranteed. Weber may crack the lineup during the season from time to time, but I do not have him in the top six for most of the season, so there will be higher production from the other three players.

I guess my choice for the winner of this one as obvious as they come. I am going to go with Josh Gorges, and I think he will run away with it (if he stays healthy). Should Gorges fall victim to injuries once again, I expect Ristolainen or Bogosian to take the Shot block title on the Buffalo Sabres Roster.

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