The Buffalo Sabres have better options than Bjork, Sheahan
By Sion Fawkes
It’s a not-so unpopular opinion when I stand up and say that Buffalo Sabres winger Anders Bjork is arguably the worst player in the NHL.
When Kyle Okposo and Jack Quinn went down with minor injuries, the Buffalo Sabres turned to their prospect pool down in Rochester, with the injuries giving them an opportunity for a couple of young prospects to get a cameo or two wearing a blue and gold uniform. What they got were Anders Bjork and Riley Sheahan.
And if you watched the duo play in their respective contests – Sheahan against Vancouver and Bjork, Ottawa, you have to be questioning why the Sabres would go with them and not someone with more NHL-caliber talent. Sheahan is about the slowest skater I’ve seen lace up for the Sabres this season while Bjork is, well, I said it at the beginning of this article.
Bjork, listed as a winger, mainly played center in last night’s loss to the Ottawa Senators, and, predictably, did little during the Sabres 4-1 loss except get in the way. He was supposedly played to inject speed into the lineup, but I saw nothing but constant puck mishandling, lack of aggression, and inability to win puck battles along the boards.
Buffalo Sabres need to call up and see what they got in younger talent
One player who stands out at me is Brandon Biro. Biro looked good during the NHL preseason and got an extended look before the Sabres ultimately assigned him to Rochester. So far, he has 12 points in 12 games during the Amerks young season, and it’s not like the formerly undrafted free agent didn’t earn his way onto the Blue and Gold last season, having suited up for a game last year.
Brett Murray is another player that stands out, and one whose playing style the Sabres desperately need. So far this season, they have had absolutely no physicality, and a physical nature is what Murray brings to the table. For some reason, however, the Sabres went with a couple of bland underachievers in favor of the tenacious Murray.
Linus Weissbach also got an extended look and he has also played well for the Amerks, snagging 11 points in 13 games. His six goals is also pacing the team. And like Murray, Weissbach also did just about everything right, first during the Prospects Challenge, and again in the preseason.
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Overall, the Sabres opted for experience over potential in their recalls. But with the team sitting at 7-10-0, would it really hurt to start recalling some younger players to give them some experience in the NHL? At this point, the Buffalo Sabres really have nothing to lose.
(Statistics provided by theAHL.com)
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