Buffalo Sabres: 3 most underrated players on the 2022-23 roster
Every NHL team’s roster has a few players whose success does not always light up the stat sheet. Here are three Buffalo Sabres who fit that mold.
It is so easy to get caught up in statistics. And we are all guilty of it, myself included. So there are a few current Buffalo Sabres who serve the team well, yet if you hopped over to Hockey-Reference, their overall stats are nothing spectacular.
So today, we are discussing three Sabres who have played so well that they may have even generated consideration for an award or two at one point or another in their career. Yet, when you look at the small picture of statistics, you are more likely to give the following players the infamous bust label.
Who are the three most underrated players in Buffalo? Keep reading to find out.
Your top three most underrated Buffalo Sabres in 2022-23: Player #1 – Rasmus Asplund, C/RW
In 137 career games, Asplund has just 41 points and 25 goals. These numbers prove that he will never find himself on the top scoring lines of any NHL team. Even last season’s expansion team, the Seattle Kraken, wouldn’t have dared to trust Asplund with much offense.
But when you watch Asplund’s game closely, you will notice that he plays defense so well that some of his limited offensive production comes from those plays that he makes on defense. One example that really jumped out includes a shorthanded goal he scored against the Los Angeles Kings on October 31st.
During the play, Asplund broke up a pass, took control of the puck, and outpaced both the opposing Kings and even his own teammates to put the Buffalo Sabres up 1-0 early in the second period. This is just one of a few sample sizes in which Asplund can hurt an opponent.
Head coach Don Granato’s high-pressure system also plays well into Asplund’s hands, allowing him to let loose on the forecheck. This allows Asplund to give his line mates a chance to create something offensively, but there are also times where he can also generate a play.
No, it rarely translates into a goal or an assist for himself. But Asplund, given his puck and sound vision, can also be the catalyst for setting a play in motion on offense. And this makes him valuable on the lower lines.
Zemgus Girgensons, C
Arguably the most underrated of the three Buffalo Sabres on this list, Girgensons still has a role on the roster as of 2022-23. My overall projection for Girgensons is that he will start the season on the third line before transitioning to the fourth. And following the 2022-23 season, I do not foresee him returning to Buffalo.
However, this is not to say that he won’t be valuable in 2022-23, or that he won’t have a niche. He will, Yes, he played well under expectations of a first round pick (14th overall, 2012), but what makes Girgensons so effective is his defense-first mentality.
He also serves as an excellent complement to offensive minds, which may be a reason he had such good chemistry with Kyle Okposo early in the latter’s career with the Sabres. This past season, you saw that chemistry light up once more when Girgensons returned from injury, especially when March 2022 rolled around.
Girgensons is arguably the most physical forward on the Sabres, evidenced by his 81 hits in 56 games last season. The Sabres will also use him for winning face-offs on the lower lines in 2022-23, as he posted a 49.8 percent FOW last season. Not great, but not necessarily bad, either.
Dylan Cozens, C
Cozens made a respectable leap last season, but he could not remain consistent offensively, scoring just two goals following the All-Star break. Clearly, Cozens is not done growing offensively.
Not that he doesn’t excel in other areas, as he displays all the intangibles you look for in a former seventh overall pick: Physical ability, mental fortitude, a tenacious work ethic, and playing style.
He is one of those young players who just needs to put everything together, and it was something we saw in the first half of the 2021-22 season when he found twine 11 times. Unfortunately, it did not last, but his leadership qualities are on another level for a 21-year-old player.
And this is what makes Cozens such an underrated asset. He has yet to light up the stat sheet. But he excels in just about every other under-the-radar area in the game given his drive, grinder mentality, and ability to lead regardless of whether things are working for or against him.
If we were to brace for the worst and assume for a second that Cozens never becomes a viable scorer on the Buffalo Sabres, he, at the absolute least, will find a long-term niche on the lower lines. Not exactly what you are looking for out of a seventh overall pick. But I can name a few high picks over the past decade who generated lesser returns.
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Overall, Asplund and Girgensons will never impress you on the stat sheet while Cozens has potential to. But they all have a place on the Buffalo Sabres roster for the 2022-23 season. Asplund and Girgensons will once again lead the team as defensive forwards while Cozens has a chance to break out of his scoring slumps and develop into a complete player.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)