Fansided

Top Five Under Appreciated Players on the Buffalo Sabres Roster

By Jacob D. Strozyk |
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 16: Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (53) skates by the bench after scoring his second goal of the game during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres on December 16, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 16: Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (53) skates by the bench after scoring his second goal of the game during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres on December 16, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Buffalo Sabres have had success coming from a few players this season, and it has been a primary reason for the success, but there are other under valued players on the roster that need the recognition they deserve.

While the Buffalo Sabres have been riding their success primarily on the backs of Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner, and Carter Hutton, there are other players that have been doing great things each night. These are the players that drive each night to win on every shift and put in the work to contribute to a full 60 minute win.

The Buffalo Sabres have shown that their depth in general is solid across the board, from the defense to the offense. Where would they be without Eichel and Skinner being one of the best duos in the league? I’m not really sure, but I do know that the following players would still be playing as hard as they do, and contributing as well in the event that one or both of the aforementioned players went down.

BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 11: Evan Rodrigues #71 of the Buffalo Sabres and Dustin Brown #23 of the Los Angeles Kings follow the play during an NHL game on December 11, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Buffalo won, 4-3. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 11: Evan Rodrigues #71 of the Buffalo Sabres and Dustin Brown #23 of the Los Angeles Kings follow the play during an NHL game on December 11, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Buffalo won, 4-3. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Evan Rodrigues

Evan Rodrigues has been one of the best fourth line forwards in the NHL this season. He has the speed of a top six scorer and the drive of a third line grinder, and those packaged together make him one of the better forwards on the Buffalo Sabres roster.

Rodrigues sits with 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points in a total of 28 games this season and that will put him on pace to beat his career high he hit last season (7G, 18A, 48GP). While his talents have not gone completely unnoticed by coach Phil Housley, as Rodrigues also is on one of the power play units, it seems that his efforts and skills go unnoticed and unappreciated by some fans and media. Rest assured that Evan Rodrigues is a key player for the Sabres, it’s just not always completely noticeable.

BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 11: Casey Mittelstadt #37 of the Buffalo Sabres and Derek Forbort #24 of the Los Angeles Kings battle for the puck during an NHL game on December 11, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 11: Casey Mittelstadt #37 of the Buffalo Sabres and Derek Forbort #24 of the Los Angeles Kings battle for the puck during an NHL game on December 11, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Casey Mittelstadt

Casey Mittelstadt may seem like a bit of an odd choice for this list, but I put him here for a specific reason. While Mittelstadt is one of the higher profile players on the Sabres roster, and is a dynamic scoring forward, there are other things he does besides contribute to the scoresheet that justify his placing here.

He sits with 5 goals and 5 assists for a total of 10 points through 34 games this season, and many people have been on his case for his lack of offensive production. While he has struggled to put up huge numbers on the scoresheet, he has proven himself to be a capable two-way top six center. He has some of the flashiest hands on the team, and he has the ability to make a great scoring chance out of thin air.

Those aren’t the reasons I put him on this list however. Mittelstadt gets his spot here due to his hustle on each play, and his obvious value in the shootout. The Buffalo Sabres in previous seasons struggled in the shootouts (no thanks to the single digit save numbers of Robin Lehner) because of a lack of scoring ability in a lot of cases. Mittelstadt has shown that he can, not only score in the shootout, but that he can reliably score in pressure situations. Twice now, he has scored clutch goals to keep the Sabres going in the shootout, and they have both been beautiful. This skill is valuable to have when trying to secure the bonus point.

BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 16: Zach Bogosian #4 of the Buffalo Sabres checks Danton Heinen #43 of the Boston Bruins into he boards in the first period of the game between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden on December 16, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 16: Zach Bogosian #4 of the Buffalo Sabres checks Danton Heinen #43 of the Boston Bruins into he boards in the first period of the game between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden on December 16, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Zach Bogosian

Bogosian has struggled to find his game in previous seasons, and that has been largely due to injuries. He has been hindered in his desire to prove that he can be a capable and reliable top four defender on the Buffalo Sabres blue line.

This season he has proven that he is exactly that, plus more. All season long, Bogosian has been a mentor and defensive partner to rookie sensation Rasmus Dahlin. He has played a big part in both the general defensive stability, and an even bigger role in the success of the Sabres penalty kill. The Buffalo Sabres currently sit with the 8th best penalty kill in the league, and that has been instrumental in the Sabres ability to grind back from deficits.

Bogosian currently has 2 goals and 5 assists in 29 games this season, but he never has really been one for offensive prowess. While it would be nice to see him break out offensively a bit, I’d rather see him continue to shine as a defensive stud for the rest of the season.

BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 8: Sam Reinhart #23 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during an NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 8, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 8: Sam Reinhart #23 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during an NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 8, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Sam Reinhart

Sam Reinhart has been subjected to so much flack by fans this season, it’s a little ridiculous if you ask me. For this reason, I have justified putting him here as an undervalued player.

Sam Reinhart sits on the Buffalo Sabres top line and third on the team in scoring (8 goals, 24 assists, 34 games) and has proven time and time again that he is an elite level playmaker with some of the best vision on the team. His passing ability and playmaking skills are along the same lines as Jack Eichel, yet fans still see him as some B-list level player who would have no place in this league without Jack Eichel.

Sam Reinhart has moved up and down the lineup throughout this year, yet he still continues to produce. He has found his way back up to the top line by proving that he does possess the skills needed to play at the top level.

His chemistry with Eichel and Skinner has shown that they are one of the most dangerous lines in the league, so it’s about time that fans see the light and notice the contributions of Sam Reinhart.

BUFFALO, NY – NOVEMBER 13: Jake McCabe #19 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 13, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – NOVEMBER 13: Jake McCabe #19 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 13, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Jake McCabe

Jake McCabe has been injured for the past handful of games, but prior to that he was one of the best unnoticed players on the Buffalo Sabres roster.

McCabe was playing top line defensive minutes with Rasmus Ristolainen, and he was doing everything. Literally everything. He was a beast on the penalty kill, he was on the second power play unit, he was breaking up big scoring chances, throwing massive hits, standing up for his teammates, and to top it all off, he is on pace for the best offensive numbers in his career.

McCabe sits with 2 goals and 8 assists in 25 games. He seemed to have a new set of playmaking eyes when this year started, because most of those assists were on goals involving Jack Eichel or Jef Skinner. This is a defenseman that has it all and is the most well rounded blue liner the Buffalo Sabres have besides Dahlin.

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