Buffalo Sabres: 3 players who can benefit from Granato Effect in 2023-24

This past season, Casey Mittelstadt and Tyson Jost were two members of the Buffalo Sabres who benefited from the “Don Granato Effect.”

For those of you who don’t know, the “Don Granato Effect” is Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato’s method of taking a young player who may have underachieved either lately or throughout their career, and transforming them into a more than serviceable NHL player. And since he took over head coaching duties in March 2021, we saw Granato either build or revitalize careers.

Last season, we saw the effect occur almost immediately when Tyson Jost was claimed, and later, when Casey Mittelstadt finally played like a former first round pick. Before that, Granato turned around Jeff Skinner’s and Tage Thompson’s careers, along with Kyle Okposo’s, and Rasmus Dahlin’s.

For 2023-24, there are a few other fringe players out there who could benefit from the “Granato Effect.” Let’s meet them.

Buffalo Sabres who may benefit from the “Granato Effect” next season

1 – Jordan Greenway

Jordan Greenway “impressed” me so much last season, that I initially didn’t realize that I’d erroneously neglected to add him to my Way Too Early Lineup Projection 2.0, And even after I fixed the error, I added him as a projected extra, so it’s safe to say that, despite trading a second round pick for the physical winger, he didn’t exactly impress in the 17 games he played with Buffalo.

Going on 26, however, Greenway is still young enough to turn his uninspiring sample size around. And there is no better place to do this than in Buffalo, New York. If Granato can work his magic with Greenway, then there is a good chance he breaks out next season.

2 – Henri Jokiharju

Just two seasons ago, Henri Jokiharju was on the top pairing with Rasmus Dahlin. Now, he’s most likely to start the 2023-24 season on the third when general manager Kevyn Adams adds another top four defenseman to the mix.

This past season, Jokiharju had a tough time keeping up with opposing forwards, and more than a fair share of odd-man rushes and breakaways were on him. The upside, however, is that he’s only 24, so he has more than enough time to get things turned around.

3 – (Wildcard) Victor Olofsson

Of course, I’ve been saying for a while that I expect the Buffalo Sabres to move Victor Olofsson, and there should be plenty of interest for him. But it doesn’t mean anyone is going to buckle down and trade for the one-dimensional winger.

If the Sabres can’t find a trade partner, it’s highly likely he at least starts off the season in Buffalo. And this would give Granato a chance to help the much-maligned player to improve his game. Overall, I don’t see Olofsson sticking around, but we always need to account for the what-if.

Source: Buffalo Sabres 2022-23 Report Card: Victor Olofsson by Matthew Morris, TheHockeyWriters.com