7 – Casey Fitzgerald
2021-22 Statistics: 36 games, 6 points, 0 goals, 6 assists, 35 blocks, 86 hits, 13 takeaways
Fitzgerald plays bigger than his 5’11, 178lb size indicates. And for that, I love the fact that he morphed into one of the hardest hitters on the Buffalo Sabres. He spent most of his time in the AHL last season, but he did make a name for himself at the highest level along with Mattias Samuelsson.
Some may rank Pilut above Fitzgerald, but the latter’s aggressive nature and ability to bring energy into the building is the main reason he ranks higher. I do see Jacob Bryson and either Ilya Lyubushkin or Henri Jokiharju taking precedence over Fitzgerald, since I see him more as a player you insert into the lineup when you need an extra physical presence.
Projection for 2022-23: Last season, Fitzgerald played in 36 contests, splitting time between the AHL’s Rochester Americans and the NHL. This year, I am looking for him to play most of his games in the NHL, between 35 and 45.
He will keep up his role player mentality as a hard-hitting presence on the third pairing, where he is best suited to play at the moment. Look for him to evolve more into that agitator or even into a fully-fledged enforcer role when he receives ice time. Fitzgerald is a fearless player with a hitter’s mentality, and he will show it often.