Buffalo Sabres winger/center Rasmus Asplund is starting to solidify himself as one of the best defensive forwards in the league.
Rasmus Asplund isn’t going to contribute much in the scoring realm, but don’t make the mistake in thinking he is not a good hockey player. Instead, the defensive forward played his role in 2021-22 so well, he saw a few votes for the Selke, finishing 19th overall. and he is the type of player the Buffalo Sabres need to help create scoring chances.
This year, look for the Sabres to increase their scoring output, and the more goals they put up, the more valuable Asplund becomes. An expert on the forecheck, many of the Sabres goals aren’t happening without Asplund winning the battle and setting a play in motion.
Rasmus Asplund’s role will get more valuable for the Buffalo Sabres
For many of these predictions, I like to project a number of points I think the player will score. However, this won’t be the case for Asplund. In my bold predictions piece, I merely stated he would finish in the top 10 for the Selke.
In this realistic prediction piece, I’m saying he will use the forecheck to generate more scoring opportunities and disrupt more plays in the defensive zone. He will score more as a product of the Sabres entering 2022-23 as a better hockey team, which, in turn, will let him turn more plays into scores.
Now, if I were to project a certain number of points, I’ll go with something modest like 35, including 10-15 goals and 20-25 assists. However, I have no doubt that he will be responsible for creating scoring plays that could generate up to 100 points, considering his ability to keep the puck in his team’s possession.
His Corsi and Fenwick For Percentages crept over 50% for the first time in his career. Look for both numbers, which sat in the 52% range, to increase this season. His on ice Save Percentage (oiSV%) dropped to 89.8% at even strength, but that was also the product of spotty goaltender play. In 2022-23, that number should also increase back into the 90% mark.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)