Respected experts praise Buffalo Sabres for Clifton signing

The Buffalo Sabres are making shockwaves league-wide. And a pair of experts at The Athletic had great things to say about the recent additions. 

It’s been a growing trend that the Buffalo Sabres have been receiving high praise from seemingly everyone in the NHL universe. What started as a dormant, bottom of the league franchise just three seasons ago has grown into one that might just be formidable in 2023-24.

Experts over at The Athletic have also taken notice of the Blue and Gold regarding the recent signing of Connor Clifton. Check out a tiny snippet of what Dom Luszczyszyn had to say about the former Boston Bruins defenseman:

"“The Sabres are better positioned at this current stage under Don Granato to take advantage of a player like Clifton, who fits the profile of a player who can make the jump up the lineup.” – via The Athletic."

While Luszczyszyn implied the Sabres overpaid for Clifton, they still gave Buffalo a solid A- as far as the D-man fits into the lineup. But hey, the Blue and Gold had the cap space, and if they think Clifton can take his game to the next level in Don Granato’s system (whom he’s familiar with, by the way), you take that risk and pay him a little more than what many believe he’s worth.

The Athletic praises the Buffalo Sabres for Connor Clifton signing

Luszczyszyn wasn’t the only one to give the Sabres good marks for the move. Mark Lazerus handed Buffalo a B+ for the signing, about the same as Luszczyszyn’s A- in my book. Check out this small snippet of what Lazerus had to say.

"“Clifton is a solid, if unspectacular, third-pairing guy, and the two veterans should ease the defensive burden on Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.”  via The Athletic."

I love how Lazerus included Erik Johnson in passing in the above quote. And I think I speak for most Buffalo Sabres fans when I say that I agree with Lazerus’ assessment that Clifton (and Johnson) will play a major role in taking pressure off of two of the team’s top three blueliners that also includes Mattias Samuelsson.

Last year, the Blue and Gold had several candidates, but no takers for a role on the top four. Ilya Lyubushkin looked good in spurts, but he was injury prone and is better suited to play on the third pairing and to even sit out games as an extra defenseman on occasion.

Riley Stillman didn’t even come close to grasping the job, though he showed enough physicality to be considered for the bottom pair. Henri Jokiharju often let the opposition get behind him, and he could be an odd man out along with the underwhelming Jacob Bryson.

Overall, it’s easy to agree with both experts over at The Athletic. But the real test will occur in the coming months, when the Buffalo Sabres open training camp and the preseason. It will be interesting to watch how both D-men fit into their respective roles.

Source: NHL contract grades: Sabres look to Connor Clifton to fill bigger role by  Dom Luszczyszyn and Mark Lazerus, TheAthletic.com