Top three worst draft picks in Buffalo Sabres history
Jack Eichel will forever be one of the least-liked former first round picks in Buffalo Sabres history. But is he one of the worst?
As much as the Buffalo Sabres faithful dislikes Jack Eichel, he was still a serviceable player during his time with the organization. Eichel may not have had the kindest things to say following his return to the KeyBank Center in March 2022, but let’s face it: Eichel’s 355 points in in 375 games with Buffalo was one of the better stretches in the latter 2010s for the team.
The worst picks in team history were three players drafted in the first round that did not live anywhere near expectations. At least Eichel often played as advertised, even if things turned sour. The players mentioned in the following slides barely even saw NHL ice time and they have since faded into the darkest corners of Buffalo Sabres lore.
So who are these three picks that rank as the three worst in franchise history? Keep reading to find out.
Worst draft picks in Buffalo Sabres history – Pick #1: Dennis Persson, 2006
I would like to share Dennis Persson’s NHL statistics with you, but there are none. However, Persson does have a few AHL statistics from the Portland Pirates and Rochester Americans, both of them serving as Buffalo Sabres affiliates between 2008-09 and 2011-12.
Here are Persson’s career AHL statistics: 171 games, eight goals, 25 assists, and 33 total points. He also had four points in 14 playoff games. If anyone accurately defines the term Draft Bust as it pertains to the Buffalo Sabres, it’s Dennis Persson.
Sure, Persson was a defenseman, meaning his primary job did not involve scoring goals as much as it did stopping them and disrupting plays. But Persson couldn’t even prove himself in a stay-at-home role.
Overall, he was a waste of a draft pick in 2006 and the Sabres could have done much better. Especially with winger Nick Foligno going to Ottawa just four picks later.
Pick #2: Marek Zagrapan, 2005
In the photo above, you see Zagrapan in a Buffalo Sabres uniform. And that’s because it was a preseason game. Like Persson, Zagrapan never recorded NHL stats because he never played in an NHL game. He did spend time in Rochester and Portland, however, appearing in 227 contests.
But how bad did things get for the star-crossed center? He scored just 127 times in those 227 games, averaging 0.56 points per game. Not quite the production you are looking for from a center drafted 13th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
And whether he was playing in the EHL, the AHL, or the Slovak league, Zagrapan never panned. To add insult to injury, two NHL All-Stars, Anze Kopitar and Marc Staal, were drafted right before the ill-fated Zagrapan.
The New York Islanders and then-Phoenix Coyotes drafted the next two centers, Ryan O’Marra and Martin Hanzal. And while neither were great players, they spent far more time in the NHL than Zagrapan.
Pick #3: Alex Nylander, 2016
The Buffalo Sabres drafted Casey Mittelstadt at eighth overall in 2017. So far, you can call him a borderline bust, even if he has had his moments. However, just one year prior, the Sabres completely whiffed on Alex Nylander, who they also drafted at eighth overall. Hey, at least they got something out of Mittelstadt. But what did they get out of Nylander?
He appeared in 19 contests with the Buffalo Sabres. In those 19 games, Nylander gave them six points. Which really isn’t terrible, especially given his 13.6 percent shooting percentage. But, here’s where things get interesting: Nylander has just 154 total AHL points as of June 2022 in 297 regular season games. That’s just over a half point per game.
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Not quite the production you want out of a winger who was drafted eighth overall. At least Mittelstadt is getting closer to scoring a half-point per game at the NHL level. Underachiever? Yes. All-out bust? Not quite.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Hockey DB)