Buffalo Sabres: Gulyayev would be an outstanding pick at 13th overall
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres don’t need a defenseman to quarterback their power play any time soon. But Mikhail Gulyayev would be a solid addition nonetheless.
With Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power both likely signing extensions, the Buffalo Sabres are set with blueliners capable of scoring and quarterbacking the power play. But if they feel Mikhail Gulyayev is the top player overall when they pick 13th in the 2023 NHL Draft, they need to take him anyway and add yet another solid defenseman to the prospects pool.
Per the Elite Prospects 2023 NHL Draft Guide, Gulyayev compares to Tyson Barrie and Quinn Hughes. He’s small, clocking in at just 5’10, 170 lb and he needs to work on his transition game, but few defensemen are better at passing the puck around and creating scoring chances for their team.
And it shows in his statistics. This past season, Gulyayev logged 25 points in 22 contests with the MHL’s Omskie Yastreby, and he collected another 10 in 17 playoff games.
Gulyayev would add another sound offensive-defenseman to Buffalo Sabres pool
While the Sabres have quite a good deal of talent at forward in their prospects pool, they are still lacking sound defensemen, even after the likes of Ryan Johnson, Nikita Novikov, and Vsevolod Komarov opting to sign with the organization.
The Sabres would have to wait on Gulyayev, however, since his contract with the Avangard Omsk runs through 2024-25. But that would give him ample time to work on his defensive and transition games.
Overall, the Buffalo Sabres could opt to take a player like Gulyayev if they believe he’s the best player on the board at 13, which is the direction they will go in this year’s draft before opting for need in the later rounds. However, there could be more complete players available, and that could cause general manager Kevyn Adams to go in a direction other than Gulyayev.
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I personally see Gulyayev as a consolation if the top players on the Sabres board have gone elsewhere. Therefore, I would only be happy to see Adams grab him at 13th overall if there were no better options available.
Source: Sabres NHL Draft questions: Will there be a defenseman worth taking at No. 13? by Matthew Fairburn
(Statistics and information provided by the 2023 NHL Draft Guide by Elite Prospects)