Oh, it’s midseason, and for teams like the Sabres that are on the wrong side of playoff contention, that means one thing: It’s time to check out some NHL mock drafts to see who this team will select and add to their already inflated prospects pool.
Okay, that’s harsh since that same pool has dished out quite a few contributors over the years. Jiri Kulich is the latest success story, while JJ Peterka, Dylan Cozens, and Jack Quinn (who’s been putting on a clinic lately) are other examples. It won’t be long until Devon Levi is a full-time player at the NHL level, and we can go even further than that.
While I liked the player Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report mocked to the Sabres, not everyone will share my sentiment. See, for years now, Sabres fans have wanted general manager Kevyn Adams (assuming, for now, he’s still there come June) to load up on right-handed defensemen in the early rounds of the NHL Draft.
But that hasn’t happened, and if the Blue and Gold rolled with this prospect come June, it wouldn’t bode well for this faithful albeit impatient group of fans. Anyway, Jackson Smith is the player in question, a left-handed defenseman for the Tri-City Americans.
Jackson Smith would be an excellent find, but Sabres fans may not agree
The obvious problem is that Smith is a left-handed defenseman who could wind up in the NHL sooner rather than later is something fans won’t like. Forget his two-way game or his 6’3, 190-lb build.
For a while now, I’ve been hearing nonstop about the need for more right-handed defensemen in the system that aren’t drafted in the mid-to-late rounds. And I’m sure many will point to the Sabres big club, look down the lineup, and see that the Blue and Gold’s only two right-handed blueliners are Henri Jokiharju and Connor Clifton, which isn’t saying much.
The latest newcomers, Dennis Gilbert and Bowen Byram, are both left-handed defensemen, and so are top prospects like Ryan Johnson. Yeah, it may be unfortunate that someone like Jackson Smith isn’t the RHD fans might want, but still, a good hockey player is a good hockey player. And for me, it’s all that should matter.
If there’s an obvious upside here, it’s that the Sabres are now 5-2-1 in their last eight contests, so maybe they won’t hold onto that projected fourth-overall spot if they keep winning hockey games. But until this team proves it can get relevant, I’m going to assume they’re closer to a lottery pick than a playoff position.