Buffalo Sabres May Have Hit The Jackpot With Alexander Nylander

Anyone still on the fence about the Buffalo Sabres’ decision to use the 8th pick on this sick Swedish sniper?

When the Buffalo Sabres drafted Alexander Nylander with the 8th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, it’s safe to say that there were quite a few eyebrows raised by the decision.

While it is true that a few mock drafts actually had the Sabres picking Nylander, the majority of people who try and predict something like the draft had the Sabres snagging a left-handed defenseman with the eighth pick.  Lord knows that Buffalo still had a number of quality blueliners to choose from when it was their turn to pick, as Mikhail Sergachev (9th), Jake Bean (13th), Charles McAvoy (14th) and Jakob Chychrun (16th) were still unclaimed when the Sabres opted to go with Nylander.

Even if some fans were disappointed that the Buffalo Sabres did not draft a defenseman, GM Tim Murray did swing a trade that sent Mark Pysyk to Florida for LHD Dmitry Kulikov, and fan reaction to the Nylander pick was mostly pleasant, even though most of the people I chatted with or read on Twitter seemed to believe he will not spend a whole lot of time with the Sabres next season.

More from Sabre Noise

• 3 biggest standouts at Buffalo Sabres 2023 Prospects Challenge
• 3 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres final Prospects Challenge game
• Buffalo Sabres experiment with lesser-known talent in loss to Pens
• Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 51
• Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh: A quick look at the Penguins prospects

Then the Buffalo Sabres development camp took place, and any doubts fans might have had about Nylander have been thrown out the window.

The man who calls himself @snipeshow98 on Twitter certainly lived up to his Twitter handle and the scouting reports that labelled him one of the best goal-scorers in the 2016 prospect pool during the Blue and Gold scrimmage Saturday, as he scored twice on penalty shots and added one more in the shootout, making him a perfect 6/6 in penalty shots during the camp.

The mitts on this kid are ridiculous, and Nylander was certainly worth the price of admission wth moves like these:

It’s perfectly acceptable to drool at the thought of a Nylander – Jack Eichel – Sam Reinhart line, in case you were wondering!

Next: Sabres Free Agent Watch: Jimmy Vesey

While the Buffalo Sabres did not do enough during the draft to make their defense playoffs-ready, in my humble opinion, the team sure looks like it hit the jackpot in Alexander Nylander.  It’s doubtful he spends much time with the club in 2016-17, but expect to see him join the Sabres on a full-time basis in 2018-19 at the absolute latest, when he’ll be 20 years-old and ready to make the opposition absolute look silly as hell.