Buffalo Sabres: 5 young defensemen taking over NHL

Jacob Bryson

Of the five defensemen, Bryson remains the biggest work-in-progress. With nine points in 50 outings, Bryson’s game is, like Samuelsson’s, strictly defense. Like Jokiharju, he takes care of the puck, logging just 18 giveaways in 50 games.

Bryson has also shown he can log an extended amount of ice time between his 88 career games, recording over 19 minutes in each of the last two seasons. He’s not the most physical defenseman, logging just 41 hits. However, his 54 blocks imply he’s willing to sacrifice the body.

Overall, Bryson’s statistics are eerily similar to last season’s, implying the 24-year-old has already reached his ceiling. If that’s the case, Bryson will find a permanent spot on the third pairing.

But he’s also too valuable to get rid of. Expect the Sabres to keep and hope he grows his game in the future. If there is one more aspect to Bryson’s game that’s easy to like, it’s his tendency to stay out of the penalty box. In his 88 career games, he has served just 22 penalty minutes.