Two future NHLers dominate Tier IV of the Sabres Top 24 and under player and prospect rankings
You know the Sabres dynamic prospects pool shines when there are two forwards who have already seen NHL ice taking a middle-of-the-pack ranking.
We have now entered the part of the show where Tier IV has some full-time NHLers involved. One reason you won’t see those playing at the NHL level exclusively ranked over AHLers and junior hockey players in the Sabres system stems from the fact that they either lack upside or they won’t be much more than rotational pieces in the near future.
Meanwhile, a few prospects will take the Sabres further than some playing with the big club, whether that involves more valuable play when they reach the NHL level or if they simply hold more trade value, something that will also go a long way if general manager Kevyn Adams wants to excite the long-suffering fans in Western New York.
So, which players currently seeing time at the NHL level find themselves behind more than a few intriguing prospects, and what does their future look like in a blue and gold uniform?
16: Henri Jokiharju, D/Sabres
Henri Jokiharju is a pending restricted free agent, and considering his June birthday, he will not be on this list in the fall. But in early May, he fit the “Top 24 and Under” criteria, so it makes sense to rank him for now. That said, he didn’t get a high ranking, and he is the first full-time Sabre to be mentioned.
Why Jokiharju is so low is that there is little reason to believe he will be part of the top-six in the defensive rotation, even if he gets a qualifying offer and returns. Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, Connor Clifton, and Ryan Johnson should all move past him to start the 2024-25 season, leaving Jokiharju as an extra in a best-case scenario.
Jokiharju was also a healthy scratch a few times this season, further implying he is, at best, a seventh blueliner for the Sabres moving into October 2024. Or, if he becomes a free agent, he will play a similar role for most NHL teams. The only way Jokiharju finds himself in a bottom-pairing role is if injuries strike whomever he’s playing for, and that would be nothing more than a temporary fix.
If the Sabres brought him back, it wouldn’t be a bad thing as he provides excellent insurance, but he’s less than a role player at this point.
15: Matt Savoie, F/Moose Jaw
Some might believe Matt Savoie is ranked too low here, but his lack of sample size at the pro level takes him down to 16th. Yet if he sticks around in the system, or if he earns a spot with the big club out of camp this season, he won’t be ranked so low when we revisit these rankings late in the summer or early fall.
At 5’10, 180 lbs, Savoie has packed on more size, so that alone provides a boost. And his showing in Rochester last fall was promising. Even more promising has been his performance with the Moose Jaw Warriors, where he scored nearly one goal per game 19 in 23 contests - and erupted for 47 points. With a strong playoff showing to rival what he did last season with the Winnipeg Ice, Savoie will build momentum heading into the summer.
But with less experience at the professional level than those listed above him, will Savoie fall victim to the numbers game and fail to make the Sabres lineup? Sure, he could spend more time honing his game in Rochester, but at which point, you have to be honest and ask whether he provides more value to eventually land with the big club or in a big trade package.
There is no shortage of talent regarding Savoie, and although he can still stand to add another 10 lbs of muscle, someone will want him in their system if there’s no room in Buffalo.
14: Peyton Krebs, Sabres
Peyton Krebs falls behind a few prospects, and it’s not a knock on the pending restricted free agent as much as it has to do with upside. Through his first two seasons with the Sabres, it’s become clear that Krebs is a lower-liner and strictly a defensive forward as opposed to someone who will even be a complementary scorer in the NHL.
In 2022-23, Krebs finished the year with 26 points and nine goals, and that number plummeted to just 17 points and four goals this past season. He also has seen his ice time steadily decline since he entered the Sabres system in 2021-22. But it’s hard to argue that there is anyone more important to the Blue and Gold on the fourth line.
That said, he should get a qualifying offer extended in the offseason and continue playing his defense-first game. No, he may not see more than 12 minutes per contest next year but expect the hard-hitting forward who isn’t afraid to skirmish with opponents to embrace that role even more in 2024-25.
While he still has ways to go in the stat line, I was also impressed with the fact Krebs’ faceoff win percentage keeps trending north. And if he can get it over 50 percent, the Sabres will finally have someone capable of winning at the faceoff dot in their own zone.
13: Isak Rosen, W/Rochester/Sabres
Okay, we’re ending this one with a player who can easily find themselves pitching into the lower lines in 2024-25 if he has an outstanding playoff run and preseason. Isak Rosen didn’t do much in his first NHL appearances, but with a noticeable jump in production and size - 6’0, 175 lbs at the time of this writing - Rosen is more NHL-ready than he’s ever been.
He would still need to earn a spot in a scarce lineup that could become even more scarce should Kevyn Adams make some offseason moves, but Rosen’s continual improvement in the regular season and postseason implies a full-time spot in the NHL will arrive, whether it’s in Buffalo or elsewhere - once again, we cannot rule anyone out via a potential trade in 2024.
We’re also left to imagine just how much damage Rosen would have done in the AHL if the Sabres never recalled him last fall. The turbulence invoked a scoring slump when he returned to Rochester, so there’s a chance he would have been more than dominant.
But Rosen still got it together, and he’s once again helping the Amerks win in the playoffs. If he produces in the postseason the way he did early in the regular season, Rosen, like Savoie, will build a ton of momentum.
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(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects and Hockey-Reference)