Ryan McLeod’s one elite attribute will transform the Sabres bottom-six

While Ryan McLeod qualifies more as a depth forward as opposed to a complementary scorer for the Sabres, he possesses one ultra-elite attribute fans must know about. No, it doesn’t involve anything near finding twine over 25 times per season, though I wouldn’t rule out 20 now that he’s out of Connor McDavid’s and Leon Draisaitl’s respective shadows, but that’s for another article. 

Instead, let’s talk about the speed McLeod will bring to the Sabres bottom-six that will work in conjunction with his tenacious play and ability to gain possession off of the faceoff. Jason Moser of Buffalo Hockey Now recently ranked the Sabres 21 fastest skaters, and McLeod took first place, clocking in at a max speed of 23.82 mph with 373 bursts at 20-plus mph last season, per NHL Edge. 

How significant is this? He ranked in the 98th percentile in max speed and in the 99th percentile in those 20-plus mph bursts. Yeah, that’s pretty good when you think about it, and it will give the Sabres much-needed speed to potentially transform their bottom-six. 

Ryan McLeod’s speed will be on full display for the Sabres in 2024-25

This is a big deal for the Sabres, as Moser’s rankings listed potential linemate Zach Benson in the 21st spot, and Jordan Greenway clocked in at No. 18. Should Benson and Greenway find themselves flanking McLeod in 2024-25, and there’s a strong likelihood that will be the case, the Sabres will have a player capable of outskating opponents and creating enough space for a pair of forwards who like to hang out near the crease when their team has the puck. 

We saw Benson make this his niche last season, and even when it wasn’t paying off, he nonetheless forced opponents to account for his presence. As for Greenway, he’s a physical player who can move opponents out of the way to make enough room for himself to deflect a puck toward the net. 

Even if Benson and Greenway don’t end up alongside McLeod, it’s irrelevant. You see how his speed, and also the speed added to the projected fourth line, should take the Sabres lower-lines to another level for the upcoming season. 

No, this isn’t yet a complete team, and we don’t need to pretend otherwise, but adding McLeod will turn out to be general manager Kevyn Adams’ most brilliant move of the offseason if he uses that speed effectively.