Buffalo Sabres 2022 Draft: Weaknesses for each draft pick
There is no such thing as a perfect prospect. And the Buffalo Sabres 2022 NHL Draft class is no exception. Let’s discuss each pick’s weaknesses.
In previous articles, I went over many of the strengths regarding each of the 11 draft picks from the Buffalo Sabres 2022 draft. But I did not really touch on the weaknesses surrounding each new member of the prospect pool.
Therefore, today’s article will be all about developmental opportunities for each selection, ranging from Matthew Savoie to Linus Sjodin. Some weaknesses for the new prospects are easily correctable, while others are out of their control. Some may even make or break their potential NHL careers.
So what are these weaknesses? Let’s talk about them, beginning with one particular weakness ninth overall pick Matthew Savoie has hardly any control over.
One weakness for each Buffalo Sabres pick: Matthew Savoie, C/9th overall
Size is what ultimately dropped Savoie to the ninth overall selection. Questions will remain whether the 5’9, 179lb Savoie can really play center at the NHL level. If he cannot play a sound defensive game at the position, odds are the Buffalo Sabres will kick him to winger.
But it won’t take away from Savoie’s projection as a future member of one of the top two lines. And if the Buffalo Sabres need to kick him outside to winger, don’t expect draft pundits to rank this pick with any lesser value five years from today.
Next to Savoie’s lack of size, he was one of the 2022 NHL Draft’s most accomplished prospects. So much, that the only real nit left to pick is that his game is not yet developed for the NHL level. But you can expect him to join the main roster in a season or two.
Noah Ostlund, C/16th overall
The Buffalo Sabres took a player at 16th overall who may never evolve into anything more than serving a supporting role. It was something Ostlund was known for in 2021-22 at Djurgardens, scoring just 9 goals while racking up 33 assists and 42 points in 32 games.
A lankier player built in the mold of fellow Swede Isak Rosen (14th overall in 2021), Ostlund’s lack of strength also eerily reminds me of Casey Mittelstadt when the Sabres selected him eighth overall. I personally would like to see Ostlund put on at least 10-15lb with some much-needed strength before the Sabres even think about bringing him over.
That could occur as early as 2024-25, or it could be later. Okay, well what about Isak Rosen, who will likely play in the AHL just one season after the Sabres drafted him? While it’s true Rosen is still rail thin, Ostlund possesses such a high motor and competitive edge that, to maintain such a style for the AHL and the NHL, putting on much-needed size is a must.
Jiri Kulich, C/28th overall
Kulich showed off his upside when playing in the U18 World Championship, but something that jumped out was the fact that he did not win puck battles. That number tanked to the mid-forties percentage-wise, and it is something that needs to improve dramatically if he is to earn a spot on the middle six in time.
He is also too one-dimensional at this point, relying on an elite shot and dynamic skating ability to try and make plays. This mentality will not take him far in the NHL and it’s akin to being a successful one-read quarterback in college football trying to maintain the playing style in the NFL.
And while Kulich recorded good numbers before his 2021-22 outings, he produced nothing eye-popping since his 39 points (23 goals) in 19 games for Pirati Chomutov U17. However, as mentioned, that trend did change in 2021-22, when he put up respectable numbers in Czechia Extraliga and turned in epic performances at the U18 World Championship.
Topias Leinonen, G/41st overall
Many point to Leinonen’s sub-0.900 save percentage in the U18 games – both the World Championship and International. But you can also make the argument that his GAA of 2.61 and 2.51, respectively, is a positive sign here. But it also makes you wonder whether Leinonen’s stellar GAA was nothing more than lack of scoring opportunities from opponents.
He is also not good when facing shots coming from the top of the crease, with a save percentage of just 0.707 (29 for 41) in the category. The culprit could be that Leinonen is allowing too many rebound opportunities, although it is fair to ask whether his defensemen are just playing too far out of position.
Finally, Leinonen projects to be playing in Liiga in 2022-23, where he struggled in a four-game cameo in the league last season – 5.02 GAA/0.825 save percentage. To make the jump, he needs more consistent work habits, bar none. If he cannot develop these, it will be a long learning curve when he eventually arrives in North America.
Viktor Neuchev, LW/74th overall
Neuchev is one of those players you watch and you think: He rarely has an idea of how to play a team game out there on the ice. This is one of the ultimate boom-or-bust prospects that was a great value pick at 74th overall, but it is always a risk when you draft a player based on raw ability alone.
Of course, I raved about Neuchev’s selection on Friday, citing his NHL-caliber height, powerful shot, and outstanding production. But raw ability can only take you so far. So while his 67 points and 40 goals in 61 games look good on paper, Neuchev needs to realize that his go at it alone approach will not work in leagues above his comfort zone that is the MHL.
This is a player who has all the talent you can ask for. But if he cannot spread the puck around and draw defenders away from teammates when they are handling the puck, he will never be a productive player in North America. The scoring prowess is there, but Neuchev needs to develop his game when he finds himself in a supporting role.
Mats Lindgren, D/106th overall
Lindgren is about as offensive-minded as you can get for a defenseman. And while it is great to see two-way players in the organization, especially dedicated puck movers, his offensive game is not perfect.
He needs to play a more complete game on the power play and learn to go after the puck as opposed to expecting it to come to him. Oftentimes, he will overthink things and try to do too much, which leads to potential turnovers. Lindgren does have strong defensive skills, but his bad habit of puck watching means he will get caught out of position, allowing for easy shots.
Overall, it just seems like he presets his mind into believing he knows where the puck is going both on offense and defense. Like Neuchev’s weakness, this is a bad habit he will need to cut at the eventual AHL level as too much panic and puck watching will expose him in seconds.
Vsevolod Komarov, D/134th overall
While Komarov has shown flashes of becoming a two-way player during his first season with the Quebec Ramparts (19 points in 40 games), that may be a product of playing for a high-scoring team that logged 302 goals. Komarov scored just two of them.
His shot selection was one of the worst if not the worst on the Ramparts, as opponents blocked 28.5 percent (62) of his 217 shots. Want more fun? 70.9 percent (44) of those 62 blocks came near the blue line. So once again, he’s shown two-way flashes, but if his higher points total was a product of a high-scoring team, Komarov projects far better as a stay-at-home defenseman.
He also does not possess a good deal of explosiveness or acceleration when playing in front of the net in the defensive zone. Komarov has also never made it to international play, unlike many of his peers in the Buffalo Sabres 2022 class.
Jake Richard, RW/170th overall
He is about as raw as Neuchev, with just one season of experience in the USHL, playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Therefore, Jake Richard‘s biggest weakness is just lack of experience and the unknown regarding how his sophomore campaign on the junior circuit will pan out.
While he went unranked in Neutral Zone’s final NHL Draft rankings, this isn’t the most pressing concern. With 48 points (18 goals) in 56 games, Richard has natural talent and he has shown the ability to jump right into the next level and play. But now that opponents know how good he can be, what is his ultimate response when they eventually do have an answer for him?
Richard was one of the Buffalo Sabres best picks on Day 2 of the 2022 NHL Draft, considering his raw talent and production. But he is so inexperienced that there is a lot of mystery surrounding how this prospect will fare when he faces adversity.
Gustav Karlsson, C/187th overall
Karlsson is not aggressive when battling for the puck, winning one-on-one battles just 43 percent of the time. However, this number isn’t awful, and more experience in either J20 Nationell or the SHL will give him a chance to improve on this statistic before he even thinks about making the move to North America.
Per Elite Prospects, Karlsson has also never taken the ice in international play, meaning he is not highly sought after on the radar in his native Sweden. Despite the lack of international recognition, Karlsson did enjoy a breakout campaign in 2021-22 for Örebro HK J20, with 48 points and 31 goals in 41 games.
He also had an encore performance in the playoffs, scoring six points (four goals) in five games. This indicates that Karlsson’s lack of international play could just be nothing more than the prospect being a potential late bloomer. And if that’s the case, Karlsson may evolve into one of the Buffalo Sabres better late-round prospects in the pool.
Joel Ratkovic Berndtsson, RW/202nd overall
There is hardly any information online about Joel Ratkovic Berndtsson, so this one is going by snippets that I have heard from places like Chat Sports. Berndtsson’s skating is average at best and his overall game remains undeveloped.
Most sources have said that, like most late-round prospects, Berndtsson won’t be heading to North America any time soon. However, he played well enough during his final season in Frolunda HC U20 that there is an outside chance he will see time in the SHL. Last season, he scored 49 points and 22 goals in 47 contests, which showed moderate production.
He has also, at least per Elite Prospects, never seen time in international play. Overall, this is a project pick whose undeveloped game will keep him out of the Buffalo Sabres organization (AHL or NHL) for the foreseeable future.
Linus Sjodin, C/211th overall
And finally, we got Linus Sjodin, an older prospect I am rather high on given his respectable numbers in the SHL for his experience level :11 points in 49 outings at wing, instead of his natural center position. Clearly, his game didn’t wow anyone, or else he would have gone long before the 211th selection: The Buffalo Sabres themselves even passed on him 10 times.
That said, he is nothing more than a developmental prospect at this point. He also shows traits of an infamous tweener, as someone who isn’t quite productive enough to make the top six, but he is not the physical type that you would expect from a bottom six player at the NHL level.
Sjodin does have potential to ease into the aforementioned bottom six role. But he needs to increase his physicality and preferably add at least 25 pounds to his physique, and that won’t happen overnight. Further, his production was never remarkable, even at the J20 Nationell level.
light. Must Read. Elite Prospects, Yahoo Sports 2022 NHL Draft Grades
Overall, Sjodin is a potential-laden prospect who did score a little more than one would have thought from a teenager in the SHL. If he can build off of his SHL production last season and rack up points in over half the games, then we may see him in North America sooner than one would think.
Article Source: Learn More About The Buffalo Sabres’ 2022 NHL Draft Picks by Melissa Burgess.
(Statistics provided by Elite-Prospects)