Top 3 prospects who Buffalo Sabres, Amerks, must re-sign

The Buffalo Sabres have made waves in retaining current talent this offseason, bringing back Zemgus Girgensons and Joseph Cecconi this week.

Goaltender Malcolm Subban was one of the best players to suit up for the Buffalo Sabres AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. He related well to the fans, and his play helped the Amerks reach the Conference Final.

But Subban probably won’t return to the organization following such a year, though I’m sure we’d all welcome him back if he chose to re-sign. He would make a remarkable leader for this young Amerks team, and the goaltending would be championship-caliber once more.

But there are a few other players capable of taking on leadership roles if the Buffalo Sabres or Rochester Americans decided to re-sign them. Players who could be top-notch AHL talent, but probably don’t have the same chance as Subban of returning to, or moving up to the NHL. Here are three names one team or the other MUST bring back.

3 prospects Buffalo Sabres, Amerks must re-sign

1 – Kohen Olischefski

Talk about a success story, as the formerly undrafted Kohen Olischefski landed a tryout contract in March 2022, and I thought he’d be nothing more than a low-end player for the Amerks spending most of his time in Cincinnati. He saw just 16 games in the regular season and scored two goals in the process before appearing in 12 playoff games and tacking on another pair of goals.

Points aside, the grinder and high-energy mentality are what saw Olischefski score more ice time and become a more pivotal piece of the Amerks playoff run. And that type of presence is something the young Amerks need if they’d like to return to the playoffs.

2 – Sean Malone

A definite fan favorite, Sean Malone is a perfect leader for a team that will likely carry youngsters like Isak Rosen, Viktor Neuchev, Aleksandr Kisakov, Tyson Kozak, Olivier Nadeau, Filip Cederqvist, Ryan Johnson, and Nikita Novikov. Those are a lot of Buffalo Sabres prospects who will be in either their respective first or second seasons in Rochester unless they impress so much that they end up in the Queen City.

Malone, 28, will never see NHL ice, but his leadership and overall productivity served the Amerks well last season. He had 31 points, 14 goals, and 17 assists with the Amerks in 53 games, and other nine points, three goals, and seven assists in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

3 – Mason Jobst

Mason Jobst may be small, at just 5’8, 185 lb, but don’t let his size fool you-he’s been moderately productive for the Buffalo Sabres affiliate, tacking on 38 points, 14 goals, and 24 assists in 2022-23. He followed that up with an outstanding playoff run, with 13 points (three goals) in 14 games.

Jobst is 29 and one of the oldest players in Rochester. The former Ohio State Buckeye also has four years of AHL experience, something that will be more than valuable to a young hockey team like the Amerks. Like Malone, look for Jobst to take on a leadership role.

Overall, the Sabres must continue to build and develop their prospects pool as though they are still one of the worst teams in hockey. Long-term success is the key here, and having three outstanding prospects like Olischefski, Malone, and Jobst in the system is a crucial piece to their prospects’ development.

Source: Sabres GM for a Day: Finding an upgrade on defense for Don Granato by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com