Sabres' Gavin McCarthy praises Bruins' James Hagens after dominant display

The Buffalo Sabres feature a promising group of defensive prospects, including several who were on the ice for the 2026 Prospects Showcase, but none of them were able to contain rapidly emerging Boston Bruins forward James Hagens in the two-game event.

Hagens was the best player on the ice by a country mile during the preseason exhibition, scoring six goals and creating a flurry of high-danger chances seemingly every shift. It was the latest indication the 19-year-old Boston College product is ready for a full-time NHL role in 2026-27.

Sabres defenseman Gavin McCarthy spoke highly of Hagens after Game 1.

"Yeah, obviously he's a great player and can score at any moment, as we saw tonight," McCarthy said. "You gotta just try to control him. He's super shifty, so you gotta go through him whenever you can and take him out of the play. I think he found some soft spots tonight and capitalized."

Hagens made his NHL debut late in the 2025-26 season after completing his college career with the Eagles, and he proceeded to make three playoff appearances for the Bruins during their first-round series against the Sabres. Buffalo advanced in six games.

The New York native didn't make much of an impact in those initial games with the B's, tallying no goals and an assist in five outings, but he looks a step quicker — both in terms of foot speed and his ability to process the play — as training camp arrives ahead of the new campaign.

Boston will be counting on Hagens to help provide an offensive spark as it attempts to keep pace in a loaded Atlantic Division. Buffalo is the reigning division champion.

The Bruins and Sabres don't face off for the first time this season until Jan. 5 at TD Garden.

Gavin McCarthy faces key development year for the Buffalo Sabres

McCarthy played a handful of games with the AHL's Rochester Americans during the stretch run of last season and mostly held his own despite failing to record a point.

Now the 21-year-old Buffalo-area native (Clarence Center) is ticketed for a full season with the Amerks after a strong collegiate run at Boston University. He served as the Terriers' captain in 2025-26.

McCarthy, who started his upward trajectory as a member of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres youth program, is a well-rounded defender who doesn't shy away from the physical side of the game. He also made substantial progress as a puck-mover during his time at BU.

As it stands, however, the 6-foot-2 blueliner doesn't have that singular standout trait that screams future cornerstone NHL defenseman. His offensive game is still a work in progress and his defense, while strong against NCAA opponents, will be challenged more significantly at the AHL level.

The 2023 third-round selection currently projects as a fringe lineup defender, perhaps serving in the No. 7 reserve role thanks to his all-around steadiness. He can still change that outlook, though.

McCarthy's next couple seasons — he'll likely need at least two full years in Rochester before he seriously enters the NHL discussion — will say a lot about whether his game can level up enough to become a more impactful player over the long haul.

Of course, the other factor in that equation is Buffalo's organizational depth on the blue line.

Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power are all locked in for the long haul, and the Sabres have high hopes for offseason acquisitions Olen Zellweger and Louis Creiver.

The Blue and Gold also have two highly touted defensive prospects in Daxon Rudolph (No. 4 overall in the 2026 NHL Draft) and Radim Mrtka (No. 9 in 2025) who are aiming to prove they're ready for NHL roles by the time the 2027-28 season rolls around.

That's already seven defenders right there and, while a trade or two is always possible, the crowded nature of the depth chart does make McCarthy's path to the NHL a little tougher to navigate.

At minimum, the right-shot defenseman should emerge as a strong asset for the Amerks whose dependable play in his own zone will make him a trustworthy Buffalo call-up in the years ahead.

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