Sabres dipping into the prospect pool early

It’s no secret that the Buffalo Sabres have been swimming at the bottom of the barrel for several years now. The benefit to that is that this means that they are able to draft early every year. They’ve collected some pretty solid talent, most notably the currently injured Jack Eichel, the runner-up prize to Connor McDavid last year.

The Sabres have 6 players born in 1994 or later, including regular contributors like Eichel and Zemgus Girgensons. If youth is a sign of a team on the rise, then big free agent acquisitions are a sign of a team that thinks it’s close to competing. One of the top free agents on the market, Kyle Okposo not only signed with the Sabres, he inked a huge, long term deal, keeping him in Buffalo until 2023.

One of the cogs the Sabres will need if they want to compete in 2016-17, Evander Kane, took an injury in the first week of the season, leaving an open spot on the roster. That spot was given to Nicholas Baptiste, who will be an important cog if the Sabres want to compete in the years ahead.

It remains to be seen how aggressively the Sabres seek relevance. There is something to be said for the fact that they have so many young players on the team, and many of them have experience in the NHL already. Consider the fact that Baptiste, a third rounder in 2013, likely isn’t even in the top 10 best players the Sabres have under the age of 25. Through trial and error, it is inevitable that eventually, this group will be successful.

Of course, with a glut of talent crying out for spots on the NHL club – Hudson Fasching had to be scratched for today’s game, for example – there isn’t enough space for all these players. The Sabres aren’t the only bad team in the league. Might there be a rebuilding team with that piece that Buffalo needs, and who may be interested in restocking their system? Buffalo has the resources, and seemingly the will, given the Okposo signing, to do what it takes to assemble the best team it can.

How well they do, or at the very least  what course of action they take for the future, will be dictated by how hot their start is this season. If they start quickly, don’t be surprised if they take advantage, and are active on the trade market throughout the winter. If not, just know they are waiting, and before too long, they will be dangerous.