Buffalo Sabres Player Rankings: Ranking the forwards from 2022-23
The Buffalo Sabres season ended over a week ago, but who ended up as the top forward on the team? Was it Tage Thompson, or did someone else take the gold?
The Buffalo Sabres had a strong group of forwards this season, even if they had two rookies in the lineup, a cast-off, and even a couple of players who underperformed in previous seasons. Come the end of the year, this group grew up more than perhaps any other, and it reflected in the chemistry they developed time and again in 2022-23.
So today, we’re counting down the names of the team’s top 15 forwards from last season. Who took the top spot in this season’s rankings? Keep reading for more.
Ranking the Buffalo Sabres forwards from 2022-23
15 – Vinnie Hinostroza
Vinnie Hinostroza finished the season with 11 points, two goals, and nine assists in 26 contests. He was mainly used as an extra skater this season and at one point, the Buffalo Sabres tried to trade him. Don’t expect him to return next season.
14 – Lukas Rousek
Lukas Rousek is only ranked so far down the list because he appeared in only two games, but they were a pair of solid performances to say the least. Look for him to contend for a spot next year, that’s if he doesn’t return to Europe, as Pro Hockey Rumors reported.
13 – Jordan Greenway
Greenway struggled when he first arrived in the Queen City, but he started showing flashes later on. He also seemed to score some wild goals from time to time. Hopefully, he becomes a permanent staple in the lineup, but he has some ground to make up.
12 – Victor Olofsson
You’d think someone with 28 goals in a single season would be ranked higher. But Victor Olofsson showed us he’s nothing more than a streaky player who offers little more than the ability to score goals in clumps.
11 – Kyle Okposo
I actually thought Kyle Okposo played better than many think. But his slow speed kept him from maximizing the skill-set he still has. He could and probably will return next season, albeit in a limited role.
10 – Zemgus Girgensons
A fan favorite and rightfully so, our longest-tenured member of the Buffalo Sabres won’t do much in the way of scoring, but he remains one of the more physical players on the Blue and Gold. He could also return next season.
9 – Peyton Krebs
Peyton Krebs struggled in the early going, but found his niche as a physical fourth-liner. Krebs will never be the best forward on the team, but he’s scrappy and is the kind of player you want on the bottom six.
8 – Tyson Jost
I’ve said it a few times before and I’ll say it again – I laughed when general manager Kevyn Adams picked up Tyson Jost off of waivers. Then he came in and carved out a spot for himself on the third line, though if I’m giving an early prediction, I got Jost moving to the fourth when the season begins.
7 – J.J. Peterka
J.J. Peterka had an equal amount of up and down moments during the first five months of the campaign, and he even ended up in the press box a couple of times. But he got it together in March, even amidst the worst stretch of the Buffalo Sabres season.
6 – Jack Quinn
Like Peterka, Jack Quinn also got it together, and he ended up having a solid season for a rookie. Expect him to make a sizable jump next year and perhaps become the next 60-point forward for Buffalo.
5 – Dylan Cozens
Until Casey Mittelstadt’s tear, Dylan Cozens was far and away the Buffalo Sabres breakout player. He was one of just four players to score 30-plus goals for the Blue and Gold this year, and general manager Kevyn Adams and Company rewarded him with a long-term deal.
4 – Casey Mittelstadt
No one saw Casey Mittelstadt scoring 59 points (15 goals, 44 assists) this season. Mittelstadt also played a big role defensively, and you can expect this jump to continue well into 2023-24 and beyond.
3 – Jeff Skinner
This time two years ago, we thought the Sabres big contract extension with Jeff Skinner was arguably the worst in league history. Fast-forward to April 2023, and that’s no longer the case. Skinner had 82 points this year, and despite his older age – 31in May – he doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the end of his prime.
2 – Alex Tuch
I nearly put Alex Tuch at #1 on the list, but felt there was only one forward deserving of the honor this season. Nonetheless, if Tuch played in just a few more contests, he’d have hit the 80-point mark easily.
1 – Tage Thompson
If Tage Thompson doesn’t sustain that injury late in the year, then we’re talking about the Buffalo Sabres first 100-point scorer in quite some time, or at least close to. Can he reach the milestone next season? I want to say yes, but then again, expect more points from the Sabres as a whole, so that might actually negate a triple-digit season in points, but we’ll know the answer when April 2024 rolls around.
Must Read. Sabres will make one blockbuster signing in 2023. light
Overall, if you’re a fan of the Blue and Gold, you should see a lot of value in most of these forwards. Sans Hinostroza and Olofsson, expect many of them to return, perhaps even Okposo and Girgensons at this point. Great news all around, since it shows us that the Sabres are, well, building a remarkable group on all four lines.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)