Buffalo Sabres Players: Predicting The Top Scoring Defenseman

By Jacob D. Strozyk |

Goal scoring from the defensive players in the NHL are not a necessity to win games, but they certainly do help. The Buffalo Sabres do not have a natural offensive defenseman (someone like P.K. Subban or Erik Karlsson) but they do have some offensive talent on their back end waiting to be unleashed.

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For this piece we are going to take a look at the best offensive threats that the Buffalo Sabres have on their defensive core. The three I believe have the best shot at leading Sabres defensemen in points are going to be Zach Bogosian, Rasmus Ristolainen, and newcomer Cody Franson.

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Zach Bogosian is a large, heavy hitting defenseman with a bomb for a slap shot. He has averaged close to 15 points per season, and has largely had his shot from the point go unused by his previous team. In my opinion, that is quite a waste. Last season Bogisian had 20 points in 62 games played (three of those were goals) so he has the ability to put up points from the back end.

Hopefully he sees more power play time this coming season and is allowed to unleash his cannon for a shot against opposing goaltenders.

Rasmus Ristolainen is the youngest of these three players, but he also already shown great offensive promise; especially last season. Ristolainen has always been praised for his shooting ability, and his ability to create chances from the blue line to score goals. Last season, Ristolainen scored 8 goals and 20 points in 78 games, which was good enough for number one in goals by a defenseman for Buffalo.

Ristolainen is being primed to be the number one defenseman on the Sabres roster in the next few years, and his offensive showing last year is a huge step in the right direction. With one full season under his belt, I only expect him to raise the bar and score more points this coming year.

Cody Franson (welcome to Buffalo first off) is a consistent two-way, top-4 defender that has managed to average 20+ points per season in the NHL. Considering the lack of scoring from the Sabres back end, these points will be much appreciated for next season. Last season was his best offensive season yet (7 goals and 29 points) and hopefully those numbers continue to grow.

Franson is the kind of defender that will make what he can out of his chances. He is steady and reliable, so if he gets the chances to score some goals, he will do so very well. I would not be shocked to see him on one of the top power play units to start off the season.

Among these three, the stats and scoring abilities are very close, but I am going to have to give the title for this one to Ristolainen. He is the youngest of the three and has the most to prove to Tim Murray and his new coach. Franson and Bogosian are seasoned veterans that will do what they do best, and Ristolainen will be pushing the envelope much more than the other two.

Agree or disagree with my choice? Who do you think will be the top point producing defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres? Tell me in the comments.

Next: Predicting The Top Sabres Rookie Player

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