Picture this: you’re facing the Buffalo Sabres. A team that for many years on end, was way too easy to push over and bully.
You have the puck in your zone and you look up the ice. Your teammates are skating around trying to find their positioning. You see Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Mattias Samuelsson, and Rasmus Dahlin staring directly at you, hungry for the puck.
I’m sure I don’t speak for myself when I say “Man, that is an intimidating thought for sure.”
Yeah, the NHL has begun to focus less on physicality in the league, and more on speed and skill. Yet, hitting is still allowed so there’s a form of physicality still present in today’s game. Any player can be physical, but the tall ones with some good weight are usually the one’s that win the battle.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at our big guys (6’2+)! Here’s the Herd!
These Buffalo Sabres are big. Scary Big!
Ilya Lyubushkin: 6’2″ – 201 lbs.
On a team that needed some physicality, size, and right-handed depth, Boosh came in as a Free Agent and typically plays on the bottom pairing. At only 28 years old he is still in his prime. He has this season and next season on his contract at a reasonable $2.75 Million AAV. It’ll be interesting to see if he plays out the entirety of his contract here or if we flip him for assets at the trade deadline next year.
In 59 games Lyubushkin has 91 hits and 88 blocks. I personally love the physicality he brings to the team.
Zemgus Girgensons: 6’2″ – 212 lbs.
A leader on and off the ice who seems to have been here forever. He has played his whole career here in Buffalo. While he may have never lived up to the hype, Zemgus has been a loyal member of this organization. I’m curious to see if he’ll re-sign here after his contract ends or if he’ll sign with a different team in Free Agency.
In 71 games this season, the Latvian Locomotive has accumulated 89 hits and 41 blocks. While room on the roster may not be available for him next season, we will wish him well in his future endeavors.