Buffalo Sabres – Blue vs Gold Scrimmage Thoughts

Buffalo Sabres: Prospects impress during the recent Blue vs Gold scrimmage, some more than others.

Upon arrival, the downtown HarborCenter impressed; it’s easy to see why the prospects combine was hosted here. As we gathered into venue it was very apparent that many of the fans, self included, were anxious to see what Alex Nylander could do first hand. If you’re as big of a Buffalo Sabres fan as I am, I’m willing to bet that you’ve had the chance to check out some of Nylander’s highlights online.

There were of course many other notable prospects with aspirations of becoming NHL regulars: Justin Bailey, Nicholas Baptise, Brendan Guhle, and more. What’s interesting is that as the game progressed the individual that stood out most to me was our 33rd overall draft pick, Rasmus Asplund, and I’m starting to see the justification behind trading up a few picks to grab him.

The young Swede continuously impressed on almost every shift he was on the ice. He was described in a couple of draft profiles as an elusive skater, and that attribute was on full display during the scrimmage. He scored a goal, rang one off the pipe, and created scoring chance after scoring chance. If I didn’t know otherwise, you could’ve convinced me that Asplund was taken before Nylander in the draft.

All of this praise on Asplund’s play should not take away from the talent level that Nylander has to offer. Nylander made the crowd come to life on both of his ridiculous shootout goals, and also showed elite skating ability on a couple of shifts. If given time and space Nylander looks to have the makings of a young Patrick Kane when it comes to stick handling capabilities. I for one cannot wait to see either of these young prospects in a Buffalo Sabres uniform moving forward.

Justin Bailey had a few moments that stuck out where he was able to barrel past and around the defense with impressive speed. His lack of finish was a bit concerning as there were multiple occasions that an outside observer could describe his hands as average, perhaps it was just an off night in that sense. Nicholas Baptiste impressed early on in the game scoring a goal and notching an assist, his veteran presence was felt throughout the game with constant pressure and puck possession.

If pressed to select a late round draft pick with the potential to become an impact NHL player down the road, my choice would be Vasily Glotov. He was the Buffalo Sabres last pick (190th) in the 2016 NHL draft. This slender Russian forward showed promising puck skills and hockey sense throughout the scrimmage, and to close out the night did a nifty between the legs move on his shootout attempt.

On the defensive side of things Brendan Guhle was by far the smoothest skater.  I would not be surprised if he challenged for an NHL spot throughout training camp and preseason. Another defensive prospect that caught my attention was Will Borgen, who showed a bit of a physical edge and competed hard for every puck in his vicinity.

The flow of the Blue vs Gold scrimmage was excellent. A nice touch that most seemed to enjoy was when a penalty was called a shootout attempt occurred with the play following directly after. I would not want to take away power play situations in the NHL, however the idea of a shootout attempt followed by a shortened power play directly after is an interesting thought to entertain.

Next: Sabres Made A Huge Mistake Letting Chad Johnson Walk

We have exciting times ahead of us Buffalo Sabres fans, not just for this upcoming season, but in the future as well. Thank you for taking the time to read my very first post as a SabreNoise contributor, I welcome any feedback and suggestions on additional topics you would be interested in reading about.