Buffalo Sabres: Which low-tier defenseman sticks around?
The Buffalo Sabres shipped off Robert Hagg before the trade deadline for a sixth-round pick.
The Buffalo Sabres are about to get a boost on their defensive pairings with Casey Fitzgerald’s return to the ice looming. Fitzgerald has not seen action since March 10th when he sustained an upper-body injury. Now that he’s raring to go, the Sabres still have a logjam on the lower defensive pairings.
To further compound things, the Sabres have a lot of money invested in two older defensemen. Well, older given the average age of the team, although Colin Miller and Will Butcher are technically middle-aged in hockey years.
With nearly $7 million invested in the duo, it would be hard to bring them back for 2022-23 just to see under 20 minutes of ice time on the third pairing unless they’d be willing to return at a reduced rate. Both of their contracts expire following the season, so it remains to be seen whether Kevyn Adams is willing to sit with them at the negotiating table.
Both players have their strong suits that have been on display on the ice. They provide value, but not to the extent of their current salaries.
Mark Pysyk is another low-tier defenseman whose contract is also set to expire. However, with just $900,000 in base salary, he provides a cheaper alternative to Miller and Butcher, should the Sabres keep one or more of them.
The Sabres may also not keep any of the aforementioned names. It’s easy for them to go with the young talent they got in Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, Mattias Samuelsson, Fitzgerald, and Jacob Bryson. Owen Power is also in the college ranks, and don’t forget about Oskari Laaksonen down in Rochester.
But let’s assume the Sabres want to keep one of their current low-tier defensemen around. Who will stay and why? Let’s make the case for each.
Colin Miller
In Miller’s first two games back from injury, he contributed with two assists, and a +/- of one. A two-way defensemen, Miller has logged 14 points in 34 games this season with a +/1 of (-1). He also committed just 10 giveaways.
Miller’s game also displays solid defense, with 44 hits and 39 blocks. Before his injury, he threatened to set a new career-high in blocks and he was also on-pace for 100-plus hits for the first time since 2018-19.
Overall, Miller compares well to Rasmus Dahlin, but a lower-tier version of the All-Star defenseman. Miller won’t give you the same offensive production as Dahlin and he’s not as physical. However, he takes care of the puck better than Dahlin and he also has a knack for finding open teammates to set up scoring opportunities.
Miller has never logged over 20 minutes of ice time per game. However, his average ice time of 19:26 is second only to the 19:39 he enjoyed back in 2018-19.
Overall, Miller is the best bet of the three low-tier defensemen listed. But with such a high salary and the fact he will turn 30 before next season, are the Sabres willing to keep him around?
Will Butcher
The Sabres want to get younger, so Butcher has the advantage from an age standpoint, having turned 27 just two months ago. Unlike Miller, Butcher is not effective on offense, logging just five points in 32 games.
However, Butcher showed two-way tendencies earlier in his career. As a rookie with the New Jersey Devils, he logged 44 points in 81 games. He followed that up with 30 points in 78 games the next season. Since then, he has tailed off.
Butcher has never been a physical defensive player, recording 268 career blocks and 106 career hits in 270 games. Looking at all of the above, it’s easy to see why the Sabres would discard and forget about Butcher.
However, Butcher is an outstanding puck handler, committing just eight giveaways this season. He is also one of the most disciplined defensemen in the NHL, with 34 career penalty minutes.
Butcher provides value on the lower pairings. Especially when the Sabres want a player who can get rid of the puck early and almost always find an open teammate. Butcher’s game isn’t flashy. But it provides tremendous value for a young hockey team.
Mark Pysyk
Pysyk is the oldest of the trio, but he’s also the most durable. Since 2016-17, he has appeared in 388 contests. However, Pysyk, like Butcher, isn’t a two-way player that will help much on offense.
He also doesn’t share Butcher’s discipline, having logged 14 penalty minutes this season. But 14 PIM in 60 games is still a low number, showing Pysyk displays discipline to a great degree.
You also won’t find anyone on the Sabres with better puck awareness. Pysyk recorded 81 blocks this season and he’s committed just 16 giveaways to go with 19 takeaways. He’s not physical and he never has been, but Pysyk’s puck control and awareness makes him an ideal third-liner.
Age is a concern, since the Sabres want to continue to get younger. But with an affordable $900,000 salary, it’s more likely the Sabres keep Pysyk over Miller and Butcher. The only threat he faces right now comes from younger talent across the NHL that the Sabres may consider bringing in, or in-house promotions from Rochester.
Overall, all three defensemen display their pros and cons. Miller can produce, but his large contract may stand in the way. Butcher is great with discipline and the puck, but he’s not a physical player who also has a large contract. Pysyk displays puck awareness and solid discipline, but is his age a factor?
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)