The Buffalo Sabres closed out the 2022 NHL Draft by adding five prospects to fill the pool. Will anyone become the next Victor Olofsson?
As you know, the Buffalo Sabres drafted winger Victor Olofsson with the 181st overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. He made his way to North America during the 2018-19 season and played in 66 games for the Rochester Americans, scoring 63 points and 30 goals. Olofsson’s efforts led him to playing six games that season with the Sabres, and he has been a staple on the roster ever since.
The latter rounds of the draft is where diamonds in the rough are found. And while the draft itself is the highlight for most of their NHL careers, or lack thereof, a few prospects will rise above the names that have become nothing more than specs in NHL history books.
So did the Sabres find any contenders? Let’s break them down, starting with the 134th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Vsevolod Komarov.
Breaking down the late rounds of the Buffalo Sabres 2022 Draft: Round 5 – Vsevolod Komarov, D/Quebec Ramparts
Don’t let NHL Central Scouting’s #170th ranking among North American skaters fool you; Komarov has the size and physical play worthy of landing at such a spot. A reach? In most aspects. But let’s be honest: Is there really such a thing as a reach in the fifth round of the NHL Draft?
Every pick at this point is a gamble unless a high-end prospect slipped through the cracks. So I will take a 6’2, 183lb prospect any day with the 134th overall pick. And while his scoring efforts don’t show it, Komarov has a bit of a two-way prowess to his game.
Quebec Ramparts coach Patrick Roy cited Komarov’s confidence when handling the puck, further elaborating on his prospect’s patient approach, and confidence in driving it up the ice. He plays a slower, more calculated game, and he definitely has room to grow from a productivity standpoint. If he does that, then the Buffalo Sabres may have themselves one of those diamonds in entrenched inside those Ramparts of Quebec. Grade: C.