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One name that could be a potential breakout star for the Sabres

By Jacob LeBlanc

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 30: Henri Jokiharju #10 of the Buffalo Sabres skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on November 30, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Sabres 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 30: Henri Jokiharju #10 of the Buffalo Sabres skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on November 30, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Sabres 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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The Sabres have some big names on their roster that are expected to perform well. But will we see anyone have a breakout year that you may not expect?

The Buffalo Sabres have plenty of quality players that you expect to put up big numbers every season. Players such as Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall lead that group. But relying on only them wouldn’t get the Sabres very far.

It is safe to assume that Victor Olofsson will continue the success that he had from last season. Also, we can hope that Jeff Skinner will return to form after having a very underwhelming 2019-2020 season. I wouldn’t consider either of these players a potential “breakout” candidate since we have already seen that they can perform well.

But one player I would definitely consider to be a potential breakout star in Buffalo this season is Henri Jokiharju.

At only 21-years-old, the Sabres defenseman started to flash his potential last season in Buffalo as part of a young defensive core. Last season was the first year that Henri played in a full-time role, as the year before he only played in 38 games for the Chicago Blackhawks.

In the 2019-2020 season, Jokiharju had four goals and 15 points through 69 games. But I expect these numbers to increase with more experience and playing time for Henri. He has already shown that he can be very effective offensively as he tallied 12 goals and 59 assists with the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League in the 2017-2018 season.

Henri surprised a lot of people with his stellar defensive play with the Sabres last year. He solidified a starting spot through his impressive defensive play. He recorded 63 blocked shots, which was third on the team, and he also had 74 hits, which was sixth on the team. Promising stats for sure for a young defenseman.

dark. Next. Will we see Casey Mittelstadt start the season with the Sabres?

We should be really excited to see how Jokiharju develops throughout this season. He has a real chance to establish himself as a key member of the Sabres defense for years to come.

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