The Buffalo Sabres could have a good problem in 2023: A plethora of sound prospects in the AHL, but not enough room to add them to the main roster.
The infamous 2004-05 NHL Lockout provided a sound benefit to the finer prospects in the Buffalo Sabres system. While they otherwise could have played in the Queen City, the lockout forced them to make contingency plans to play in the AHL, giving these prospects a further opportunity to grow into sound NHL talents.
Fast forward nearly 20 seasons in 2023-24, and in Buffalo, a similar situation is at hand. While no lockout is on the horizon for the near-future, the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs showed us that there is more than a wealth of young talent in Rochester, but there aren’t enough spots on the NHL roster to call up any more than a couple of players.
This gives the Sabres prospects a unique opportunity to grow in 2023-24, even if some of them are NHL-ready, or near NHL-ready. In all likelihood, only two, and no more than three, players from the Amerks will find themselves in Buffalo next year. Therefore, a unique opportunity is at hand.
Buffalo Sabres prospects can take advantage of an extra year in AHL
Sure, it could be disheartening for the players like Isak Rosen, Jiri Kulich, Matt Savoie, Lukas Rousek, and Brett Murray to spend another year in the AHL when they’ve each shown the ability to move up. But it’s also an opportunity to take advantage of.
Kulich and Rosen grew into players capable of taking over games. And if one or both of them return to the AHL, there is a good chance they will transform into some of the league’s most valuable players.
Savoie is in a unique position because he’s not eligible to play a full season in the AHL thanks to his age. But he can stick around the Buffalo Sabres roster following camp, head to the AHL for “reconditioning,” then take the Shane Wright Route.
Yeah, it would mean a hectic schedule for Savoie. But it gives him the opportunity to make his presence known in the AHL, the IIHF Worlds (if the Sabres assign him there), and ultimately, the WHL, before he would return to the AHL.
It should go without saying that all of the Buffalo Sabres prospects listed above would more than benefit from the extra season of development. You can even add the likes of Tyson Kozak and Filip Cederqvist in there as they also served the Amerks well.
Yeah, they would all rather wear a blue and gold uniform. But give them one more season in the AHL, or a “grand tour” in the case of Savoie, and watch them make an even smoother transition to the NHL when that time comes.