Will we ever see Lawrence Pilut in a Buffalo Sabres’ jersey again?

The Buffalo Sabres’ defense is missing one major link and it’s Lawrence Pilut. What are the chances we see him in a Sabres’ jersey again?

Oh, what I wouldn’t give to see Lawrence Pilut in a Buffalo Sabres’ jersey next season. Unfortunately, that’s looking more unlikely every day. With that being said, there’s still a lot of questions regarding his current contract in the KHL and what it means for his NHL rights.

Pilut was a highly-touted free agent when he signed with the Buffalo Sabres prior to the 2018-19 season. The undersized, playmaking, two-way defenseman was coming off a year in the SHL where he was named the Defenseman of the Year (8 goals, 30 assists, 52 games).

The Sabres were happy to have Pilut in their development pool and he showed a lot of potential in the AHL, where he recorded 10 goals and 39 assists in his 67 games of action over the past two years. Despite his strong play in the AHL (two-time All Star), he struggled to make the transition to the NHL and only recorded 1 goal and 5 assists in 46 NHL games.

Pilut was vocal about his struggles in the NHL and wasn’t happy with his offensive play. Still, he felt he deserved regular playing time and thought not receiving it was hurting his development. He was recalled 5 times during the 2019-20 season, which can be frustrating for any player — especially when a surgery set him back when Krueger first arrived.

Wanting a one-way contract from Jason Botterill, the former Sabres’ GM never budged and allowed the young defenseman to sign a two-year contract with the KHL. Though it came as a surprise to the former GM, he 100% dropped the ball on that one.

(Remind you of someone recently, ahem, Dominik Kahun)

The KHL seemed like the best opportunity for Pilut, especially from an offensive standpoint. The KHL is known for having strong offensive play, which should help him round out his game. Still, many fans — and even executives — are still wondering what that means for his future in Buffalo.

As quick as I am to rule Lawrence Pilut out this upcoming season — and likely the one following that — I’m just as optimistic that he’ll eventually want to return to the team at some point over the next few years.

Here’s a quote from new GM Kevyn Adams on Lawrence Pilut, courtesy of WGR550:

“We really like him, and for us, [extending him a qualifying offer] that was a no-brainer. He’s a player that obviously made a decision, and that was before I was in this role, and we wanted to make sure that we retained his rights. We’ll obviously watch him, and by us qualifying him shows that we value him in terms of in the future. We’ll see what happens, but he’s definitely a player we like.”

He might be in the KHL, but the Sabres still have their eyes on him. What does that mean for the future, though?

Here’s what we know.

Pilut is currently playing in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk on a two-year contract. While he didn’t delve into a lot of specifics regarding his decision, he stated that he felt it was best for his development. He also stated that he still has a desire to play in the NHL at some point.

When the Buffalo Sabres sent a qualifying offer to Lawrence Pilut on October 7th, they secured his rights for the next three years. Keep in mind his KHL contract is only 2 years (for now).

This is a different situation than the Viktor Antipin one following the 2017-18 season. If you don’t recall, he wasn’t sent a qualifying offer and instead decided to return to the KHL.

(For those wondering, Viktor Antipin is still in the KHL. Since leaving the Sabres, he has played in 128 KHL games, scored 18 goals, and recorded 31 assists. He had 0 goals and 10 assists in 47 games with Buffalo.)

Since the NHL and KHL have a no-transfer agreement, Pilut can’t just waltz out of his KHL contract to come to the NHL, like he could if it were Liiga or SHL. It also means there can’t be any buyout or any incentives to get him to leave.

To my knowledge, the only way Lawrence Pilut can play in the NHL over the next few years is if his contract in the KHL is either terminated or expired — I think he can retire, too.

I’m not 100% sure how KHL contracts work (is anyone???), but I’m sure there’s a possibility his KHL team terminates the contract so he can come to the NHL. At the same time, they’d be stupid to do that after convincing him to sign a two-year contract over the NHL, so don’t count on this.

Since that’s unlikely, it looks like we might have to wait until his contract expires in the KHL. The good news is the Buffalo Sabres would still have his rights for a year. The bad news is he could always sign a contract extension with Traktor, sign with a different KHL team as a free agent, or continue his development somewhere else.

My hope is that the Buffalo Sabres are a more well-rounded team in 2 years, giving Pilut reason to want to play here. To have him entering his prime along with some of the other young defensive talent we have (and whoever else we acquire over the next 2 years) would be a nice surprise — and well worth the wait.

I know a lot of you are thinking, “Who cares, that’s two years from now!” Well, I care because it’s that mentality that has put the Sabres in such a terrible position the past decade.

Pilut could still be a valuable piece to this team’s future. There’s a lot of hoping and waiting involved, which everyone hates (including me), but it doesn’t hurt to have something to look forward to.

Plus, he’s been playing pretty well in the KHL, although he’s still waiting to score his first KHL goal.

He most recently (on 10/18) recorded 2 assists in a 6-3 victory over Niznekamsk, bringing his point total to 8 on the season (8 assists). He’s tied for 6th in points on his team, with 2 defenders out-producing him.

Oh, and he was recently named KHL player of the week.

https://twitter.com/khl_eng/status/1318123226837487616

In the meantime, the Buffalo Sabres aren’t completely lost on defense. There’s still a bit of a logjam when trying to come up with quality pairings, but the Sabres still have several months to figure that out. Let’s not forget they also have Will Borgen and Jacob Bryson in their prospect pool — two defenders that are knocking on the NHL’s door.

Borgen is more of a defensive player (like Pilut), while Bryson has more of an offensive attack to his game. Can you imagine if their development continues to go well and then we receive Pilut in a few years? Again, thinking ahead and hoping, but it’s interesting to think about when we already have Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju playing extremely well. Talk about youth talent.

While it sucks not having Pilut right now (and likely for the next two seasons), it’s not all bad news when looking ahead. If you can accept the fact he’s gone for now, you can start to smile a little bit knowing there’s still a chance he returns — enter Jim Carrey meme.

Is Lawrence Pilut someone you’re willing to wait for? Or would you rather forget about him until we learn more? Personally, I’m going to continue watching his development, just like the Sabres.

Why? Because what else is there to do for the next few months? To be honest, overseas hockey is the only thing keeping me going right now, especially since we haven’t had any signings or trades in FOREVER.

Come on, GMKA, there’s still work to do!

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