The young core of the Buffalo Sabres could look very different very soon. It seemed that the Sabres would be led by Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart for the foreseeable future. But after missing the playoffs for what seems like the hundredth time in a row and many changes within the organization over the past couple of seasons, Buffalo may be leaning on others to build around.
Sabres GM Kevyn Adams recently talk with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Adams mentioned some young talent that the Sabres have and how they have impressed him so far since he has been in Buffalo.
“Sometimes when players come into the league at a really young age, some people feel like maybe they’re older than they are. But guys like (Rasmus) Dahlin, (Dylan) Cozens, (Casey) Mittelstadt, these are very, very young players. So, we want to build.”
As you can see, there was no mention of Jack Eichel or Sam Reinhart to go along with this young core. But this should not come as a surprise to anyone that has been keeping up with the Sabres this offseason, as both Reinhart and Eichel have been subject to trade rumors.
If the Sabres plan to lean on Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, and Casey Mittelstadt over the next few years, Don Granato is the coach for the job. Dahlin, Cozens, and Mittelstadt all played much better last season once Granato took over for Ralph Krueger.
We saw Dahlin recapture his puck handling confidence that he seemed to have lost under Krueger once Granato took over. Mittelstadt played the best hockey of his career by far with Don as the head coach. And Cozens consistently made the Sabres’ offense flow much better whenever he was on the ice.
It is tough to think about a Buffalo team with no Eichel or Reinhart next season. But, the young core the Sabres have in place is pretty stellar if this is the case. And we also cannot forget that the Sabres have Jack Quinn waiting to make his NHL debut and own the first overall pick in this upcoming NHL Draft.