Buffalo Sabres: Can Anders Bjork be more than a rotational player?

Current Buffalo Sabres forward and former Boston Bruin Anders Bjork is just two games away from tying a career high in in games played in a season. 

The Buffalo Sabres have a few rotational pieces scattered about the lower lines. One player in Anders Bjork, who has appeared in 56 games in 2021-22, just two shy of his career-best of 58 games.

And while Bjork does not bring a flashy presence to the ice, he does bring 10 games of playoff experience at a cheap cost. Sure, these Sabres have plenty of players like Alex Tuch who played hockey in May, but for a young team like Buffalo, every bit of valuable experience counts. Especially for a team with playoff aspirations next season.

Bjork has even more of an advantage in this category as he is signed through 2022-23 and he would be cheaper to keep around than the likes of other lower-liners like Cody Eakin and Zemgus Girgensons.

Can Anders Bjork become more than a rotational player on the Buffalo Sabres?

The only knockoff on Bjork is his overall lack of productivity as a fourth-liner. He doesn’t do face-offs, nor is he the most aggressive player, carrying more of an even-keel playing style.

Contrast this with fellow rotational forward John Hayden. While Hayden does little on the offensive side of the puck, his aggressive playing style speaks wonders. In 53 games, Hayden logged 99 hits in just 10:58 minutes of average ice time. He is also good at maintaining puck control, rarely committing turnovers, with just 0.17 per game.

Mark Jankowski, who like Hayden, is also signed through 2022, is another option the Sabres can bring back and insert in favor of Bjork. Having become a solid fixture in Rochester lately, Jankowski, like Hayden, made the most of his opportunities before the Sabres reassigned him.

In 19 games, Jankowski had five points, but his real services came with winning face-offs, in which he posted a 48.0 FOW. Not spectacular, but better than a few Sabres toiling on the higher lines.

Overall, Bjork has shown little to turn heads in the front office. But he does bring value to the Sabres in terms of experience. Unlike Hayden and Jankowski, Bjork has another year remaining on his deal and he is a cheaper option than lower-liners like Girgensons and Eakin.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)