Buffalo Sabres: 3 position battles to watch in training camp in 2022
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres are going to have an interesting camp with position battles all over the ice. Here are the top three to watch in 2022.
It is September, one of the best months of the year because regardless of how well your favorite NHL team will fare, optimism is in the air along with an aura of crispness in the atmosphere that tells us fall is on its way. And for the Buffalo Sabres, it means there will be some good old position battles taking place.
This article will not necessarily focus on battling for a spot on the Sabres roster. Instead, we will discuss players already projected to find a place in the lineup who are on the cusp of moving up a rung, or losing their projected spot to someone else.
And while every position is up for grabs in camp – even those supposed locks – the most heated battles are the most enticing. Here are the top three.
Intriguing position battles to watch in Buffalo Sabres training camp – Battle #1: Dylan Cozens vs Casey Mittelstadt for second-line center
I can thank Josh Erickson’s article on Pro Hockey Rumors for the tidbit here. In the article, he projects Dylan Cozens to snag second-line center, but not before fighting it out with Casey Mittelstadt. In my own projections, I have Mittelstadt taking the spot here, believing him to be better-suited for the second line while Cozens’ skill-set is better for the third line.
But there is a chance Cozens wins the job on the second line if he has a great camp and Mittelstadt continues to struggle. So let’s assume for purposes of this article that Cozens takes the gig from Mittelstadt. That projects him to start the season alongside Peyton Krebs (LW) and Victor Olofsson (RW).
Where does that put Mittelstadt? Do you place him onto the checking line, or the high-energy fourth line? Neither seem to be a great fit for the center. Or, do you bump Krebs down to the third, put him at center, and experiment Mittelstadt at winger?
All the question marks surrounding what to do with Mittelstadt if Cozens ends up on the second line is one reason I’ve been hesitant to project him elsewhere. He’s a raw fit, at best, anywhere else.
Projected Winner: Mittelstadt