>Mattias Samuelsson–Rasmus Dahlin Owen Power–Connor Clifton Henri Jokiharju–Erik Johnson
>Other defense options: Jacob Bryson, Riley Stillman
>It might be a hot take to have the Sabres this high given how much they struggled to defend last year, but hear me out.
> > 1. Buffalo’s poor defensive results had a lot to do with bad goaltending and the forwards’ lackluster defensive play, it can’t solely be pinned on the blue line.
>> 1. When I spoke to other teams, there was a strong belief that Power can take a huge step defensively as a sophomore this season. Dahlin and Power could be one of the best 1/2 punches in the NHL.
>> 1. I’m probably higher than most people on Clifton. And when I asked around, there were people who also had time for him as a top-four defender.
>> 1. Samuelsson is an underrated defensive defenseman and deserves more recognition outside of Buffalo.
>Buffalo’s blue line certainly has more to prove than others in this tier, but its potential this season is worth betting on.
Zealousideal-Chard30
It’s wild how many teams have former Sabres defenseman in their lineups. Just goes to show how a change of scenery could be just the ticket for some players to flourish.
Roll_DM
I don’t think this is a hot take at all, the defensemen were decent last year too. They just looked worse trying to defend 15 odd man rushes a period.
3 Comments
> Tier 2: High-end
>Buffalo Sabres (ranked 11th overall)
>Mattias Samuelsson–Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power–Connor Clifton
Henri Jokiharju–Erik Johnson
>Other defense options: Jacob Bryson, Riley Stillman
>It might be a hot take to have the Sabres this high given how much they struggled to defend last year, but hear me out.
> > 1. Buffalo’s poor defensive results had a lot to do with bad goaltending and the forwards’ lackluster defensive play, it can’t solely be pinned on the blue line.
>> 1. When I spoke to other teams, there was a strong belief that Power can take a huge step defensively as a sophomore this season. Dahlin and Power could be one of the best 1/2 punches in the NHL.
>> 1. I’m probably higher than most people on Clifton. And when I asked around, there were people who also had time for him as a top-four defender.
>> 1. Samuelsson is an underrated defensive defenseman and deserves more recognition outside of Buffalo.
>Buffalo’s blue line certainly has more to prove than others in this tier, but its potential this season is worth betting on.
It’s wild how many teams have former Sabres defenseman in their lineups. Just goes to show how a change of scenery could be just the ticket for some players to flourish.
I don’t think this is a hot take at all, the defensemen were decent last year too. They just looked worse trying to defend 15 odd man rushes a period.