3 Buffalo Sabres who must stick around for the rebuild
By Sion Fawkes
Mark Pysyk
The Sabres may very well let Pysyk go along with Will Butcher and Colin Miller. However, if the Sabres were to keep one around, Pysyk is their most cost-effective option, so he gets the nod over the other two.
While Miller is the better player, he has not lived up to his heftier contract while Pysyk may cost no more than seven-figures to keep around. And while Pysyk is not the most physical defenseman nor a two-way player, he is great with puck handling and awareness.
Through 61 games in 2021-22, he committed just 17 giveaways while logging 81 blocks. Threatening his career-high of 123, which occurred during his time with the Florida Panthers in 2017-18.
Pysyk has also been one of the league’s most durable players since 2016-17, something Miller and Butcher cannot claim. He is also more than okay with lining up on the third pairing. And with Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Casey Fitzgerald, Henri Jokiharju, and Jacob Bryson all under age 24, Pysyk’s value increases if he sticks around to provide a voice of leadership.
Look for the Sabres to at least try and re-sign him in the offseason. And if they do, they can further allow younger talent down in the AHL level to develop.