Playoff races are in full swing and the trade deadline is looming. Now seems like a good time to dive into the Buffalo Sabres prospects and put forth a ranking. Some of these guys might be trade fodder, some might be untouchable. The last ranking was put out in June of 2022 and can be found here: http://new.brhl.net/article/view/908, since then the Sabres have graduated a lot of the prospects listed. Dylan Cozens, Evan Bouchard, Joe Veleno, Jamie Drysdale & Dawson Mercer are the big names to no longer be considered prospects.

Methodology for ranking – I asked a fellow GM in another league to put this group in order of his preference. Here it is:

1. William Eklund C/LW 5’10” 181 lbs – San Jose Barracuda (AHL)

Eklund comes in as top dog in the Sabres system. He had quite the year last season with an NHL stint, being returned to Sweden, and an illness which limited his games at the WJC tournament. Through all those teams, he only managed 1 goal. That poor production wasn’t enough to scare off the Sabres GM from drafting him with the 4^th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He’s not just some small skill player either, his positioning and ability to hound puck carriers is also top notch.

2. Ridly Greig C/LW 6’0” 181 lbs – Ottawa Senators (NHL)

Greig has really seen his stock rise since being drafted. He put up the 3^rd best PPG numbers in the WHL last season and was carrying his team when healthy. He plays an aggressive game and that does lead to injury concerns, but that same aggressive play is what makes him such a unique player. His scoring numbers don’t jump off the page during his current stint in the NHL, but he’s been quite active in the offensive zone and is shooting the put regularly, setting a record for most shots in a debut.

3. Mackie Samoskevich RW 5’11” 192 lbs – U of Michigan Wolverines (NCAA)

His offensive production was a bit lacking in his first season on a stacked Michigan team, but when you watched him play you couldn’t help but walk away impressed at the skill level. This year sees him take on a bigger role on the team and the stats are looking much better. Mackie excels with his good decision making and quick hands in tight.

4. Thomas Bordeleau C/LW 5’10” 174 lbs – San Jose Barracuda (AHL)

Bordeleau played for 5 different teams last season and was quite productive for all of them. He finished in Michigan at a PPG, put up 8 points in 5 WJC games for the USA, was able to produce in San Jose with both the Barracuda & the Sharks, and looked very good at the WC with USA scoring twice in eight games. This season he’s leading the Barracuda in goal scoring as well. Bordeleau is a high IQ player with a great release to his shot, it already looks like an NHL calibre shot.

5.  Zac Jones LHD 5’10” 179 lbs – Hartford Wolfpack (AHL)

Jones struggled for ice time early with the Rangers and didn’t do much to show the coaching staff he deserved more ice-time. This saw him being replaced by players like Harpur and Hajek. He is excelling in the AHL though, showcasing his elite zone entries and soft hands in pressure situations. His play without the puck though is still a work in progress, but he has shown strides in the AHL this year.

6. Ty Smith LHD 5’11” 179 lbs – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)

I was excited to hear the news Smith was traded to the Penguins, thinking this might be the perfect place for a player with Smith’s skillset. He didn’t impress the coaching staff in training camp and through pre-season and found himself back in the AHL. His play in the AHL has been inconsistent, but during a call-up to the big club looked really promising putting up 4 points in 9 games and being a plus player. He’ll need to bring more consistency to his game to impress the Penguins staff he belongs in the NHL.

7.  Alex Turcotte C 5’11” 185 lbs – Ontario Reign (AHL)

Turcotte missed the beginning of the season due to a concussion issue suffered last season that was still effecting him. Not a good sign for a player who’s known to have injury issues. The good, he’s still got that high level of compete that shows every time he steps onto the ice. He also is still showing a high level of defensive play in all three zones. The bad, we haven’t really seen the high skill playmaking that was a big reason he was drafted so high. Regardless of the warts, he still looks like one of the top injury replacements for the Kings.

8. Jack Thompson RHD 6’1” 185 lbs – Syracuse Crunch (AHL)

In his first pro season, Thompson has looked good on the Crunch blueline as one of the youngest players on the team. He’s probably not going to get to the NHL based on his defensive play, so he’ll need to continue to develop his good point shot while working out the defensive warts as he gains strength.

9. Carter Mazur LW/RW 6’0” 172 lbs – U of Denver Pioneers (NCAA)

Carter opened some eyes at last years WJC scoring 5 goals in 5 games with USA. This year he has stepped up his goal scoring with 19 goals through 30 games and has been climbing prospect lists as he’s getting noticed. He’s been nominated as a candidate for the NCAA’s top prize, the Hobby Baker. It should be a big honor to be nominated, but the fact like 200 players are listed kind of waters it down.

10. Henry Thrun LHD 6’2” 190 lbs – Harvard (NCAA)

Thrun is a smart defender with good size and skating, a great combination every team is looking for. He recently told the Ducks his intention to go to free agency and choose where he wants to play. He’s never struggled to put points on the board despite being viewed as a defense first player.

How the rest ranked:

11. Nikita Alexandrov C/W

12. Lassi Thomson RHD

13. Martin Chromiak RW

14. John Beecher C/LW

15. Hugo Ollas G

16. Trent Miner G

17. Francesco Arcuri LW

18. Graeme Clarke RW

19. Matt Kessel RHD

20. Massimo Rizzo C

21. Jacob Holmes LHD

22. Matias Rajaniemi LHD

I would've probably put Arcuri into my top 10, and probably would've listed Turcotte higher just on draft position. But this is why I liked the idea of getting someone else to rank them so my biases would be out of the picture for this.