Respected outlet undercuts Buffalo Sabres 2023 offseason

The Buffalo Sabres stuck to their minimalist ways in the offseason, and it earned them a solid ‘B’ in ESPN’s 2023 NHL offseason grades.

Over the past two seasons, the Buffalo Sabres have proven you can steadily build your team with minimal offseason moves, and it’s one reason I gave them the number one ranking in the Atlantic. Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton of ESPN didn’t see it that way, instead praising the Detroit Red Wings for their gutsy trade for Alex DeBrincat while undercutting the Blue and Gold.

So what did Clark and Shilton like about the Sabres offseason? The obvious, as Buffalo needed to upgrade their defensive rotation, and they nailed it.

"“The Sabres needed to bolster their blueline and GM Kevyn Adams took care of that adding Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson in free agency.” – via ESPN.com"

It’s easy to agree with this notion, as the Sabres blue line was terrible at times in 2022-23, with a noticeable drop-off behind Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, and Owen Power. That shouldn’t happen in 2023-24, thanks to Erik Johnson’s and Connor Clifton’s respective presence.

What kept the Buffalo Sabres from getting an ‘A’?

Ironically enough, Clark’s and Shilton’s respective critique is where I praised the Sabres, which is another reason I felt they had the best offseason in the Atlantic to date. I’ve been fully supportive of general manager Kevyn Adams’ plan since Day One, and while he was reportedly close to signing a forward, the offer dissipated, and I’m overjoyed that it did. However, Clark and Shilton digress:

"“The Sabres could use an infusion of forward depth as well and there is cap room available to make that happen — although most of the best options are off the market by now.” – via ESPN.com"

Now that we know Jack Quinn could be rehabbing his Achilles injury for the rest of the calendar year, it shouldn’t mean the Buffalo Sabres are short on depth at the position. I’ve written in a previous post that Casey Mittelstadt could and should be the next man up, as he was when Tage Thompson missed time with an injury.

This still gives the Blue and Gold a spectacular top six, and they’re still in good shape on the bottom six. Peyton Krebs, Kyle Okposo, and Zemgus Girgensons were all good defensively last season and they are all back for another year, and Jordan Greenway will now have a full offseason and training camp as a Sabre, which should help his game.

Don’t forget the prospects pool

Buffalo also has a deep pool of prospects at forward that they can recall, with Lukas Rousek, who has a pair of games under his belt, and Tyson Kozak, whose strengths bolster a few team weaknesses, acting as a pair of frontrunners for third line winger and fourth line center, respectively. At least until Quinn returns, and Buffalo can go from there.

The Sabres could also recall Brett Murray to come in as an extra skater, and remember, Buffalo also re-signed Tyson Jost. That said, there is plenty of talent up and down the lower lines to not only compensate for Quinn’s injury, but to also add much-needed depth.

Overall, the Blue and Gold deserved a higher rating from ESPN. And while it wasn’t a bad grade, we definitely saw Clark and Shilton overrate the Red Wings acquisition of DeBrincat while critiquing the fact that Adams didn’t add a forward, even if the need wasn’t dire, even following Quinn’s injury.

Source: 2023 NHL team report cards: draft, free agency and trades by Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton, ESPN.com