Respected analyst praises Buffalo Sabres 2023 draft class

The Buffalo Sabres draft class was a great one, and respected analysts from all over the NHL landscape are taking notice of the incoming talent. 

I wasn’t the only one singing Kevyn Adams’ praises after he brought in an incredible draft haul. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman also had some awesome words for the Buffalo Sabres 2023 draft class, giving the Blue and Gold a solid B+.

Of course, the Benson pick was a godsend for the Sabres. And I noted in my reaction piece that I didn’t have him joining Buffalo’s prospects pool because I was 1,000% certain another team would snag the highly-coveted WHL star.

So what did Pronman have to say about the entire Sabres draft class? Let me share with you a snippet of their reaction following the Benson pick:

"“After Benson, Buffalo picked a lot of guys on Day 2 I was fans of in Anton Wahlberg, who was a heavier presence up front, Maxim Strbak, Gavin McCarthy and Scott Ratzlaff, who I thought was underrated due to his size. I could see several NHL players from this draft for Buffalo.” – via The Athletic."

Respected analyst has awesome words for Buffalo Sabres 2023 draft class

The one big concern regarding the Benson pick that rested in the back of my mind was his lack of size. Of course, with Matt Savoie, Jiri Kulich, and Isak Rosen, among others already in the system, the Sabres needed someone with power forward potential. That prospect was Anton Wahlberg, who is listed at 6’3, 192 lb.

I was, however, glad Pronman mentioned Scott Ratzlaff as, despite his smaller size (remember, the Sabres do have a larger goaltending prospect in Topias Leinonen), his performance was just remarkable, as I noted in my draft grades piece (link in the image below). And hey, the Sabres struck gold once when they traded for the undersized Devon Levi two years ago, so why not go in the same direction by scooping up Ratzlaff?

Overall, it’s encouraging to see analysts like Corey Pronman give the Buffalo Sabres some much-needed props. But of course, the real test begins now. Who will ultimately play in the NHL, and who will do so in a Sabres uniform? We will find out over the course of the decade.

Source: Buffalo Sabres 2023 NHL Draft grade: Corey Pronman analyzes every pick by Corey Pronman, TheAthletic.com