Top three worst draft picks in Buffalo Sabres history

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TORONTO,ON – SEPTEMBER 21: Alexander Nylander #92 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL pre-season game at Scotiabank Arena on September 21, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Sabres 5-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

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)

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