The Buffalo Sabres are already looking ahead to 2017-18, as the team is linked to a defenseman in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Quick, Buffalo Sabres fans: name the Sabres’ most glaring weakness heading into the offseason.
If you answered anything other than, “the blueline,” you really need to start calling yourself a fan of a different NHL team. The Sabres blueline has been Swiss Cheese all season long, thanks to a combination of injuries and the fact that it lacks this thing called “talent.”
The situation has gotten so bad that Sabres fans actually are willing to trade players such as Evander Kane or Sam Reinhart in exchange for a proven top-4 blueliner, which means that fans are willing to weaken an offense that spent a portion of this season ranked dead last in the NHL in goals per game and is still a bottom ten offense despite the return of Jack Eichel.
Fortunatley, Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray realizes that you don’t have to gut your 21st-in-the-NHL offense in order to improve your defense. The Sabres have been working hard to find talent overseas – Alexander Nylander and Rasmus Asplund, anyone? – and those efforts look to be paying off again today:
I don't know much about Antipin, but I love that GMTM is taking a shot on a young player ripping up the KHL #Sabres https://t.co/F2cXlzITpr
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) March 14, 2017
#Sabres expected to sign Viktor Antipin, a LHD 👏🏻 https://t.co/xrDFedYFnv pic.twitter.com/PNQcQWXICw
— Steve Poland (@popo) March 14, 2017
The rumor/news/whatever you want to call it was reported by Elliotte Friedman at SportsNet in his 30 Thoughts piece today. As of the time I sat down to write this, Sabres fans seem to be pretty optimistic about this possible signing – a mobile defender? As opposed to the pylons-on-skates that we call Josh Gorges and Cody Franson? What’s not to be optimistic about?
The Hockey Writers identified Antipin as a KHL player to watch back in January, and the 24 year-old lefty had attracted he attention of the Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Here is what Matthew Bove at WKBW had to say about the rumor:
"Admittedly I haven’t watched Antipin play and don’t know much about the 24-year-old defender….but when you see that teams like Chicago, Columbus and Pittsburgh were interested it seems like this is a good get for the Sabres. Let’s not kid ourselves, the blue line has been the biggest issue for the blue and gold this year and they could desperately use a young left-handed defender moving forward."
Nothing is official yet, but we’ll be watching story to see if the Buffalo Sabres manage to sign the young blueliner out of the KHL.
Next: Eichel And Reinhart: Where Do They Rank Among NHL Sophomores