Sabre Noise
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An early look at the Sabres biggest needs for the 2024 NHL Draft

With the best prospects pool in the game, it’s hard to believe the Sabres lack organizational depth, but the reality is, every team does.

By Todd Matthews

Sep 24, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Buffalo Sabres forward Jiri Kulich (20)
Sep 24, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Buffalo Sabres forward Jiri Kulich (20) / Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
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Give the Sabres one more goaltender beyond Scott Ratzlaff

Okay, I can hear some fans shouting, “Topias Leinonen!” But the 41st-overall pick in 2022 doesn’t even look worthy of signing an entry-level deal following a pair of disappointing seasons in Sarja, Liiga, and Mestis, depending on where his current club placed him. 

Assuming Devon Levi ends up playing in the NHL full-time - basically a foregone conclusion - it leaves Scott Ratzlaff as the only competent young goaltender on the organizational depth chart. And considering his up-and-down 52-game tenure as the main guy with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, the Sabres will need some help at the position. 

Unfortunately, there may not be anyone worth taking in the first two rounds or even in the first half of Round 3 this summer, so if Kevyn Adams is interested in snagging a goaltender, he’ll be taking a flier on them. But you never know, with any of these players entering the draft in any given year, and maybe Adams will end up unearthing a hidden gem. 

Right now, he just needs to get people into the system and oversee their growth. It was unfortunate that Leinonen looks like a miss, but given his stellar drafting since his first year on the job, Adams will eventually strike gold at the position. 

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(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)

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