ESPN says Buffalo Sabres close to Stanley Cup contention

ESPN recently published an article that listed the Buffalo Sabres as one of the rebuilding teams closest to contending for the Stanley Cup.

The Buffalo Sabres aren’t usually getting praised by the media, but this year seems to be a lot different. The media might not have high hopes for the team this season, but they sure are excited to see this team develop and transition into a playoff team sooner rather than later.

In an article published by ESPN last week, they went through and listed the nine teams in the NHL that were currently rebuilding and ranked them by who was closest to contending for the Stanley Cup. Of course, the Buffalo Sabres are currently rebuilding — inside of a rebuild — and were included in the article.

Of the nine teams ESPN highlighted, the Sabres ranked fourth behind New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes — who were the top ranked. The other five teams that the Sabres beat out were the Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Detroid Red Wings and Ottawa Senators.

ESPN looked at each team and broke them down by the following categories: # of players 25 and under, # of NHL players on entry-level contracts, top prospects, draft pick forecast, team strategy, whether or not it’s working and an estimated return to relevance.

According to the article, the Buffalo Sabres had 12 players 25 and under, but if you include some of the top prospects from the AHL, that number is up to 18.

As far as NHL players under entry-level contracts, the Sabres have Tage Thompson until 2020, Casey Mittelstadt until 2020 and Rasmus Dahlin until 2021, all of whom will be major contributors to Buffalo’s success.

ESPN also highlighted Dahlin, Bredan Guhle, Victor Olofsson, Alexander Nylander, Rasmus Apland and Marcus Davidson as the team’s top prospects, but the list can be longer with the additions of Matej Pekar, Mattias Samuelsson and the future draft picks of the team.

Speaking of those draft picks, the Sabres have a lot of them coming up in 2019, including three first round draft picks. Here’s what ESPN wrote on their draft pick forecast:

The Sabres own all their picks through Round 4 through 2021 except for their 2019 fourth-rounder and potentially their 2019 third-rounder, which Pittsburgh could receive conditionally. The Sabres own conditional first-round picks from the Sharks and Blues in 2019, and a fourth-rounder from the Sharks in 2019.

Moving on to the team’s strategy, ESPN highlighted that the team is battling a rebuild inside of a rebuild, with Jason Botterill tasked with cleaning up the mess left by Tim Murray.

The roster wasn’t deep enough, so Botterill would have to figure that out in year two, something he has done through the draft, free agency and through trade. All in all, the Sabres got a heck of a lot better and have a strong mix of youth and veterans to build a better future.

Here’s what ESPN wrote on the situation in Buffalo:

The concept of “a rebuild inside of a rebuild” is one Leonardo DiCaprio and a perpetually spinning top away from a hockey “Inception,” but it is Sabres GM Jason Botterill‘s task in Buffalo. GM Tim Murray, who was crafting a roster around star center Jack Eichel after tanking during his draft year, was turfed. Botterill arrived to figure out what worked, what didn’t and how to fix it.What worked? Murray’s drafts were pretty strong, so Botterill inherited a collection of prospects that included a potential Calder winner next season in the dynamic Mittelstadt. Then the team lucked out, won the lottery and added franchise defenseman Dahlin last month.What didn’t? The supporting cast around Eichel wasn’t deep enough, the defense wasn’t good enough and Robin Lehner was Murray’s guy in goal, not Botterill’s.How to fix it? By shipping disgruntled center Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis for three roster players, by adding former Penguins in Conor Sheary, Scott Wilson and Matt Hunwick, and by signing Carter Hutton as the veteran goaltending mentor to promising Linus Ullmark. And in the process, hoping to get some forward momentum for the franchise in Botterill’s second year at the helm.

ESPN also shed light on the fact that the Sabres are close to having the “essential ingredients for a contender,” meaning two top young centers (Eichel, Mittelstadt), two top young defenders (Dahlin, Ristolainen), and a young goalie on the up-and-up (Ullmark).

Lastly, the article gave a prediction as to when the team will find its way back to relevance. Here’s what they wrote:

That .378 points share in 2017-18 was extreme regression, hence the rebuild inside a rebuild. But there’s no reason this team shouldn’t be squatting in the playoff bubble in the next two seasons and be a contender in three years given its draft pick situation — provided coach Phil Housley can make it all work.

I believe Phil Housley can make it work. With three first round draft picks next season, it gives the Buffalo Sabres capital to either add three top prospects next year, package them in a major trade or both. With the amount of young talent on the roster, the Sabres hold a lot of chips going into the 2019 season.

The future is looking good for the Buffalo Sabres and if all goes well, this team’s dark days will be over before we know it.

What are your thoughts on the Buffalo Sabres’ future? Leave your comments below!