Kevyn Adams is right in his approach to build the Buffalo Sabres
By Sion Fawkes
It may not be the popular or the preferred method among the Buffalo Sabres faithful, but Kevyn Adams is correct in building through the draft.
In October 2020, the Buffalo Sabres signed Taylor Hall to a one-year deal worth $8 million. Hall, who won the Hart Trophy and was a First Team All-Star just a few seasons before, might just have formed a dynamic duo with Jack Eichel and you could even have added Sam Reinhart to that mix.
During the 2019-20 season, Hall logged 52 points in 65 games, including 16 goals. Not off the charts numbers, but definitely productive. His signing with the Sabres shocked the world, and he further shocked everyone by falling flat on his face in Buffalo. In 37 games with the Sabres, Hall scored 17 points and two goals before the organization admitted their mistake and shipped him to Boston.
That trade was for a second round pick that led to the Sabres drafting Aleksandr Kisakov, and the rest is history. Goodbye, crazy, big-name, prize free agents. And hello, five-year plan. At the end of the day, it was a longer, but more correct view. The right view.
Why Kevyn Adams is right in building the Buffalo Sabres through the draft
Building through the NHL Draft undoubtedly takes longer, but there are far more advantages to it. For one, prospects can go through the same system if they earn a spot to play in North America. It lets players like Isak Rosen presumably team with the likes of Aleksandr Kisakov. Or for a recent example, Jack Quinn to pair with J.J. Peterka both in the AHL, and in the NHL.
Yes, they will be newcomers, but they have experience playing with one another. You couldn’t say the same for Hall back in 2020, who had to quickly mesh with the likes of Eichel and Reinhart. Clearly, it didn’t work.
Suppose Quinn and Peterka aren’t quite ready for the NHL out of training camp. Okay, cool. They will build chemistry with prospects with a chance of coming to Rochester like Rosen and Kisakov. No, none of the above will be NHL All-Stars any time soon. But they have chemistry playing together.
That’s what will make the NHL transition far less painful. They are all going to be newcomers eventually, but at least there are teammates they built chemistry with. Let’s explore this issue further.