3 Buffalo Sabres who must stick around for the rebuild

Vinnie Hinostroza

This one was a toss-up between Victor Oloffson and Hinostroza. And while it would be great to see Olofsson stick around, Hinostroza provides the greatest bang-for-buck option.

As a bonus, Hinostroza wants to stay. Here is what he said before taking the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins:

"“Until you’re in the locker room, you don’t actually realize how close it is to being something really good and what they’re building here. Just seeing that from the outside and you have a different perspective. … “You don’t get to see the inside of the locker room and really how close-knit this team is and how close it is to being something really special. I think being a part of it is something really cool.” – Vinnie Hinostroza via Buffalo Hockey Beat."

Hinostroza missed significant time with an injury this season, but his three-point outing during the Heritage Classic earlier in the month shows he can still produce and carve out a nice future with the Sabres. No, Hinostroza shouldn’t log over 15 minutes of ice time and he fits best as a role player. But his top-notch puck handling and 14.5% shooting percentage this season proves his value.

Hinostroza will turn 28 by the time the following season rolls around, and he won’t be the oldest forward on the roster with Kyle Okposo set to return next season. But like Okposo, he will find himself in a leadership role with a young hockey team.

(statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)