Buffalo Sabres Draft: Grading the 2022 NHL Draft Class
While you cannot accurately grade a draft until at least five years down the road, the Buffalo Sabres generated good early returns for its prospect pool.
Now that the Buffalo Sabres 2022 Draft is in the history books, let’s have some fun and hand out early grades that will probably look entirely different (hopefully in a good way) five years from today. Today, I’m not just going to give the Sabres a letter grade then call it. Instead, this slideshow is going to break down their best, worst, and most intriguing moves.
No draft is perfect, even if the majority of fans will give the Sabres an easy A because of the high-upside crop they selected on Day One. But right now, it’s nothing more than the emotional attachment phase. So I’m going to be real here: Not every move they made on Thursday and Friday made sense.
While we want to see these picks serve the organization with at least a strong presence in the AHL, the truth is, not every one of them will even make it that far. So which new players in the prospect pool do have that chance? And which one do I think, but hope will not, wear the infamous Bust Label? Keep reading to find out.
The best move the Buffalo Sabres made: Looking past Matthew Savoie’s size
Savoie would have been at least a top five pick, and perhaps even a top three pick, if he were a few inches taller. But given his slight frame, NHL teams shied away from one of the draft’s most productive prospects, so let’s give Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams credit for refusing to turn his back on the undersized Savoie.
In 2020-21, Savoie scored 38 points, 21 goals, and 17 assists in just 34 games while playing for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. When he returned to the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice for the 2021-22 season, Savoie’s numbers went haywire, with 90 points, 35 goals, and 55 assists in 65 contests.
His high-octane production made him an easy selection with the ninth pick. And while I also liked Danila Yurov or Joakim Kemell here, I was more than intrigued with the Savoie pick.
Drafting Noah Ostlund over Danila Yurov and Joakim Kemell
This pick just made no sense. NHL Central Scouting ranked Ostlund 18th among European skaters. By contrast, the Buffalo Sabres third round pick, Viktor Neuchev, ranked 34th. That said, I’ve looked at Neuchev as a potential steal that should have gone in the late-second or early-third, as in, earlier than Buffalo’s selection in the third.
At best, Ostlund should have gone in the early-second, but for some odd reason, Adams reached for the underwhelming Swedish prospect in favor of Danila Yurov and Joakim Kemell. And as you know, Kemell went one pick later to the Nashville Predators.
Scouts like Elite Prospects label Ostlund a playmaker. But the kid, at least right now, doesn’t score goals. Yeah, he can spread the puck around, I’ll give him that. And while his above-average productivity would not have kept him on the draft boards long, it was underwhelming for a first round pick.
In Ostlund’s defense, he did find twine five times in seven playoff games for Djurgardens. But Sabres fans should know better than to get hung up on playoff statistics (Jack Quinn, anyone?). Overall, Ostlund, from his statistics to his build, is reminiscent of another potential project, Isak Rosen.
Drafting goaltender Topias Leinonen 41st overall
If you are questioning my logic here, feel free, but the Buffalo Sabres made a bold move by selecting Leinonen. A definite reach, I’m not going to lie, but one where Kevyn Adams looked beyond Leinonen’s win-loss record and abysmal performance in Liiga where he never should have been last season.
So instead, Adams looked at the 2.28 GAA in 21 games Leinonen logged for the JYP U20 Team, not necessarily the 9-10-0 record that also included two shootout losses. He valued not just Leinonen’s size, in which he stands at 6’5, 234lb, but his overall quickness and stellar reflexes.
At this point, the Sabres needed a goaltender, and when you think you found a potential franchise goaltender, you take it. It’s akin to an ace in the MLB or a franchise quarterback in the NFL. If you think you got something, or someone, don’t hesitate to take them, even if many will consider the pick to be a reach.
This is why I loved the Leinonen pick so much, and it is also why it was among my favorite picks in the 2022 NHL Draft. But speaking of favorite picks, let’s discuss the best value selections from Day 1 and Day 2.
Jiri Kulich
While I loved the Savoie pick and was not happy with the Buffalo Sabres drafting Ostlund so early, they made up for it with the Kulich selection. While he can stand to put on a few more pounds, he was an outstanding value pick near the bottom of the first round, with agencies like NHL Central Scouting ranking him 13th among European skaters.
Some had him between 14th and 15th overall, so it shows you just how much value a prospect like Kulich brings to the table. And for a kid playing in just his second season in Czech Extraliga, he looked as though he belonged at times, ultimately logging 14 points, nine goals, and five assists with Karlovy Vary.
Even when playing against men (he was just 17 last season), Kulich was often regarded as the best skater on the ice. Therefore, it is going to be interesting to see what he will bring to the table when he eventually travels to North America. If he can improve from a production standpoint, it won’t be long until he competes for a spot on the Sabres roster.
Jake Richard
Size-wise, Richard compares well to Kulich. Standing at 6’1, Richard, like Kulich, probably isn’t done growing or putting on much-needed bodyweight. And while he has had little experience at the junior level, Richard has already come in and made a bit of a name for himself, evidenced by his 48 points in 56 games.
He was one of the youngest prospects in the 2022 NHL Draft and given his production despite his youth and inexperience, you can expect a prospect like Richard to take over games in time. He is also in high demand. Next to being one of the latest added to the Buffalo Sabres prospect pool, Richard has also committed to play college hockey at the University of Connecticut in 2023, but he was also drafted into the OHL in 2020, courtesy of the Oshawa Generals.
Given his numbers, you shouldn’t find it surprising that Muskegon Lumberjacks coach Mike Hamilton expects an even larger jump in production from Richard should he return to the USHL. To the point where Hamilton can see Richard leading the league in scoring. Given what we have seen from Richard, whether he continues in the USHL or embarks elsewhere, he will be an elite scorer.
And the Buffalo Sabres receive…
So, you might now be asking the burning question: What grade did I give the Buffalo Sabres draft? We are looking at a solid B for 2022, and hopefully that B evolves into an A within five seasons.
I was ultra high on Savoie, Kulich, and Leinonen. But with better talent following the Ostlund pick, it left a sour taste in my mouth. I did see good value in the Day 2 picks with Neuchev, Richard, and Linus Sjodin. All of whom I expect to accomplish great things in at least the AHL.
So how would the Sabres 2022 NHL Draft Class move up in the rankings? Ostlund would definitely need to prove me wrong and at least become a serviceable player in the NHL. Savoie would need to produce at an All-Star level within the next five seasons, and Kulich would also need to find his way onto the middle six.
From a value standpoint, at least two Day 2 picks would need to find a spot on the lower lines or pairings, and Leinonen, at the very least, would need to transform into a reliable backup goaltender, if not entrench himself as the starter.
Related Story. Sabres score high grade for Day 2. light
This would make six prospects of this draft class members of the Buffalo Sabres roster. And while it is not common to see over half the members of an organization’s draft class achieve such a feat, with three picks in the first round, the Sabres and their fans are going to demand it.
(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)