Former first-overall pick paces Tier II in the Top 24 and under Sabres of 2024

The Buffalo Sabres have a miscellaneous bunch of players in Tier II who many may have never believed would comprise such a group when the 2023-24 season started back in October. By far, this is one of the more mysterious units out there because it involves one player who, just 13 months ago, we thought might never sign with the organization. 

Another one listed wasn’t even part of the system when the season began, and a third player is someone who we all may have thought would have risen into the Tier I ranks. Actually, there are two mentioned in this piece that may have ended between a No. 1 and No. 4 ranking had they lived up to their expectations. 

But they also didn’t perform poorly enough to backslide too much, even if those ranked in Tier I either made major leaps or didn’t fall backward so much that they dropped into the No. 5 through No. 8 rankings. Speaking of No. 8, who snagged the bottom spot in Tier II, and who is leading the pack and raring to prove they belong in the top four?

8: Ryan Johnson, D/Rochester/Sabres

Scoring goals is how you win hockey games, and unfortunately, Ryan Johnson had zero despite playing in 41 NHL games. But Johnson’s niche isn’t goal-scoring, and you can even argue that he would still make an impact - whether in the AHL with the Amerks or in the NHL with the Sabres - if he scored zero total points, thanks to the way he excels in about every stat that isn’t shown in the box score. 

There is a chance Johnson never puts up over 25 points in a single season in the foreseeable future, but it shouldn’t matter. If he continually helps the team score goals by retrieving the puck to set the foundation for sequences that will make their way into the offensive zone, he’s doing his job, and the Sabres at least have a chance to score. 

If there is one player in these rankings who won’t be in Rochester next season, barring an unforeseen setback over the summer or in camp, it’s one of the organization’s most exciting prospects. Sure, there is one player splitting time between Buffalo and Rochester, ranked ahead of Johnson, but they just have a little more upside in these 24 and under rankings.

7: Bowen Byram, D/Avalanche/Sabres

The only real downside with Bowen Byram is that the Sabres had to give up Casey Mittelstadt to get him. But if Kevyn Adams wasn’t 100 percent sold on Mittelstadt sticking around perhaps long-term, making the trade meant the Blue and Gold could get something of worth for the 25-year-old. 

Although Byram played in just 18 games for the Sabres, his three goals and nine points, plus his physical style and penchant for taking away pucks, made the trade worth it in the short run. But we also must remember Byram is injury-prone. And in the previous article, that injury proneness caused Mattias Samuelsson to freefall from what would have been a top-tier ranking. 

If Byram avoids injuries in ways Samuelsson hasn’t, there is a good chance he could be an upgrade over the former second-round pick. But if Samuelsson returns healthy and if Byram ends up struggling with injuries, these rankings will fluctuate over the next 365-plus days. 

An ideal scenario would entail Byram playing sound hockey and staying healthy next season while Samuelsson returns at 100 percent. If that happens, it will be exciting to see just how dangerous the Sabres defensive rotation will get. 

6: Devon Levi, G/Rochester/Sabres

It’s ironic how good of a situation Devon Levi is in. When you look back a little more than a few months ago, Levi found himself in about the worst catch-22 most Sabres fans could have imagined. He was sitting behind an emerging Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and getting hardly any reps, and for a young goaltender with limited pro experience, nothing could be more detrimental.

You can’t blame Levi for this one, as it fell squarely on management and, really, the circumstances. There isn’t a single Sabres fan out there who didn’t at least have an inkling of doubt regarding Luukkonen’s future with the franchise, and his breakout campaign was one of the few pleasant surprises of what was a long season. 

While it didn’t make sense to keep Levi in Buffalo for so long, it was understandable nonetheless, especially since Luukkonen went on ultra-hot and ultra-cold streaks in 2022-23. But when the then-24-year-old proved that wouldn’t be the case this past year, Levi went to Rochester, where we knew he would get his reps, regardless of how the Sabres goaltending fared. 

If they keep Luukkonen and he’s still playing like a No. 1 goaltender, Levi will again see reps with the Americans and master the position. But he’s also good enough to be at least a 1A in this league, something he started showing toward the end of the season.