What if? Redrafting the 2015 Buffalo Sabres NHL Draft
The 2015 NHL Draft wasn’t totally ill-fated for the Buffalo Sabres thanks to the Jack Eichel trade. But it was still full of missed opportunities.
Say what you will about Jack Eichel, but his time with the Buffalo Sabres and subsequent blockbuster trade to the Vegas Golden Knights at least salvaged the team’s 2015 draft which was one of the worst in franchise history.
But if the Sabres had a crystal ball, odds are they probably would have picked someone else. So today, we are going to revisit and reselect players in all seven rounds of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Here is how this is going to work: Each pick below must have come AFTER the Buffalo Sabres selected. That means no Connor McDavid, though you can play the what-if game all you want regarding him.
Anyway, let’s cut down to it. The picks in today’s redraft gave the Sabres far more than their original draftees did – Especially those taken between rounds five through seven. Even so, their second and fourth rounders have, to date, played in a grand total of 115 NHL games. So without further ado, let’s get to it.
Buffalo Sabres: Redrafting the 2015 NHL Draft, Pick #1: Mitch Marner, C/W/London Knights
Original Pick: Jack Eichel C/Boston University
Eichel may have the edge in All-Star Game appearances with three, but Marner has an NHL All-Star Team selection that came in 2020-21. Marner has also seen himself in consideration for numerous other awards that include the Byng Trophy, Selke Trophy, and Hart Trophy.
This isn’t comparing Marner to Eichel. Instead, it’s saying the Sabres could have selected the center/winger and would have been just as well off. Marner has always been a bit reckless with the puck, committing at least 50 giveaways every season. But he also plays defense well in regard to creating takeaways, snagging at least 53 (in 55 games) per season.
Offensively, Marner’s least productive season came in his first year when he scored 61 points (19 goals). He nearly graced the 100-point mark in 2021-22, tallying 35 goals and 62 assists. Marner’s shooting percentage has never dropped below double-digits, and he has logged at least 20 minutes of average ice time over the past three seasons.
Rasmus Andersson, D/Barrie Colts
Original Pick: Brendan Guhle, D/Prince Albert Raiders
With a last name pronounced as goo-lee, perhaps Brendan Guhle was just playing the wrong position. The star-crossed defenseman gave the Buffalo Sabres just 21 NHL games, 13 hits, 16 blocks, one takeaway, and nine giveaways.
Rasmus Andersson went a few picks later and has since become a staple on the Calgary Flames. He played in all 82 games this past season, and has played in at least 70 since 2018-19 with the exception of COVID-shortened 2020-21.
He has also emerged as a two-way player, scoring 50 points (four goals), and has become especially dangerous on the power play. Never afraid to sacrifice the body, Andersson also notched 125 blocks to go with 63 hits.
Of course, the upside today is that the Sabres have a solid young rotation on defense. But they could have started the process years earlier, as the next two picks will also show.
William Borgen, D/Moorhead-Spuds HS
Original Pick: William Borgen, D/Moorhead-Spuds HS
This is the one pick I actually thought the Buffalo Sabres did a good job with. Yeah, he only gave them 14 games, and the front office was so impressed with Borgen‘s play, they left him exposed in the 2022 NHL Expansion Draft. This prompted the Seattle Kraken to scoop him up and the Sabres may have thought he was someone else’s problem.
But Borgen’s 36 games in Seattle looked promising. He scored eight points (two goals), which put him on pace for 18 points. But the real show came on defense, where he recorded 33 blocks and an astounding 89 hits. Over 82 games, that would equal 75 blocks and 203 hits.
Borgen’s physicality and size puts him onto the same boat as Mattias Samuelsson. And given Samuelsson’s performance this season, the Sabres may have gotten a better consolation prize. But if they kept Borgen, they may have had a slightly more productive sledgehammer in the making. But we’ll still take our chances with the budding Samuelsson.
Niko Mikkola, D/Kalpa U20
Original Pick: Devante Stephens, D/Kelowna
While a fifth-round pick is always a Roulette throw, the Sabres thought they’d get at least something out of Stephens. Instead, Stephens mainly found himself in the ECHL, playing in just seven games for the Rochester Americans. While Stephens has seen more time at the AHL level in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s and Vancouver Canucks systems, he has yet to play an NHL game.
But Niko Mikkola has appeared in 89 contests over the past three seasons. He showed flashes over 30 games in 2020-21, recording 36 blocks and 49 hits. But the real results came in 2021-22, when he scored 13 points in 54 games, landed 109 hits, and 81 blocks.
It’s premature to say he will develop into a two-way player, but the potential is surely there. Mikkola has a bright future in the NHL while Stephens looks to be nothing more than a high-end AHL prospect at most.
Andrew Mangiapane, LW/Barrie Colts
Original Pick: Giorgio Estephan, C/Lethbridge
Like Stephens, Estephan gave the Buffalo Sabres nothing to work with. As of 2022, he is playing hockey in Czechia. But Andrew Mangiapane, who went a few picks later, has put together a stellar career for a sixth round draft pick.
He caught his first significant stint of playing time in 2018-19, scoring 13 times in 44 games. In 10:33 of average ice time, he also showed some aggression with 43 hits and 16 takeaways.
He would score 32 points apiece in the following two seasons, but his 2020-21 campaign was perhaps the more memorable of the two. That season, he scored 18 goals for a 19.8 shooting percentage. He also had 40 takeaways, once again showing off his ability to win the puck in one-on-one battles.
This past season was a breakout for Mangiapane. In 82 contests, he scored 55 times (35 goals) for an 18.9 shooting percentage. While he struggled in the giveaway category, his 52 takeaways notched a career high.
For as much as the Sabres struggled to score over the past three seasons, Mangiapane may have provided a huge help. But, at least the Sabres started finding twine toward the end of the 2021-22 season.
Markus Nutivaara, D/Karpat
Original Pick: Ivan Chukarov
Seventh-round picks rarely taste the limelight, but Markus Nutivaara has thus far appeared in 275 contests at the NHL level. Meanwhile, Chukarov gave the Buffalo Sabres nothing. And while Nutivaara’s career has cooled since he joined the Florida Panthers, he was nonetheless effective as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Nutivaara’s best seasons came between 2017-18 and 2018-19, when he scored 44 points in 141 contests. 2018-19 was an especially sound season for Nutivaara. He put up 21 points in 80 games while defensively, he recorded 61 blocks, 80 hits, and 25 takeaways in 17:10 of average ice time.
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Overall, Nutivaara’s numbers are not off the charts. But for a seventh round pick, they are more than serviceable. While it’s okay to botch seventh round picks, the Sabres would still love to have this one back.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)