Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
There's an old adage in baseball that ties strength up the middle to success. With the Chicago Blackhawks and the Golden State Warriors putting an end to the hockey and basketball seasons, respectively, perhaps it's fitting we use that analogy as the boys of summer are really all we have right now from a competition standpoint (no disrespect to the FIFA women.)
Strength behind the plate, at shortstop and second base and in center field is at the heart of the defense while in hockey goaltending, top-pairing defense and No. 1 center is an NHL comparable. It's a combination the Hawks were built upon and their success has the hockey world linking "dynasty" to this group. Winning three Stanley Cups in six years is about as dynastic as you can get in a salary-cap world.
Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville got the goaltending from Corey Crawford during their Cup run this year while he played his top defenseman, Conn Smythe winner Duncan Keith, a ridiculous 31 minutes per game during the playoffs. However, hockey being the team sport that it is, there were contributions up and down the lineup throughout their run from the likes of d-partner Brent Seabrook, and forwards Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw, to name a few.
With all the great players on the 'Hawks, young and old, and with all the talent that hit the ice from stars to role players, it's been captain Jonathan Toews who has been the driving force behind Chicago's dynasty. Toews is that true No.1/franchise center the likes of which is usually only found at the top of the draft (unless you're the Detroit Red Wings.) With that piece in place, team-building is a much easier task and odds of success increase considerably.
It took a while for the former regime in Buffalo to figure out a few things about team building, but they eventually got it right. They finally came to the conclusion that a.) they really didn't have "two of the top-20 centers in the league" back in 2010; b.) converting a winger to center really doesn't work, in fact it works better the other way and, finally, c.) if they want a No.1 center they'll need to draft high, because you just can't go out back to the franchise-center tree and pluck one.
Thus two years of "suffering" and franchise center Jack Eichel staring the club right in the face. ("Buffalo, I'm comin' for ya!")
Back in 2012 the group down the middle was woefully inadequate from the top on down. From Derek Roy to Luke Adam to diminutive Paul Byron there was nothing that remotely resembled a Toews, Sidney Crosby, John Tavares or even a Patrice Bergeron in the system. When the light bulb finally came on they got to work on rectifying the situation. The first thing they did to bolster the middle short-term was trade for Cody Hodgson at the 2012 trade deadline. Say what you will, but it was a step in the right direction. The Sabres then looked long-term and followed that up by drafting five centers at the 2012 NHL Draft, two of them in the first round.
One of those first-rounders, Zemgus Girgensons (14th-overall,) hit Rochester for the 2012-13 season as one of the youngest players in the league. He hit the NHL for good in 2013-14 and played in 100 NHL games by the time he was 21 yrs. old and is looked upon as a core piece.
The Sabres continued to focus upon centers when they landed center Johan Larsson in the 2013 Jason Pominville to Minnesota trade deadline deal. Larsson finally broke through the NHL threshold, after three seasons in the AHL, to solidify a spot as a top-nine, two-way center who's strong in the d-zone and capable on offense.
Although they went "Twin Towers" defense with the first two picks of the 2013 draft, they picked centers with their top two picks in the second round and added two more later.
Which brings us to 2014, and the top prospect in the Sabres system.
Sam Reinhart was drafted with the second-overall pick in 2014. Buffalo hadn't picked that high since grabbing Pierre Turgeon with the first overall pick in 1987. The draft was considered "middling" overall but as usual impact players could be found at the top, of which the Sabres hope Reinhart can be one. The only thing missing from Reinhart, and the reason he was sent back to junior after his nine-game audition, was some body maturation. GM Tim Murray wanted him to add some strength and maybe a little bulk to get his 6'1" frame up into the 190 lb. area. Which he did. We can expect his journey to top-six/top-line role to begin this season with the Sabres.
The other center taken in the 2012 draft was Mikhail Grigorenko (12th-overall.) He was only the fourth forward taken to that point and the second center (Alex Galchenyuk.) The draft projections for Grigorenko were all over the place as his supreme talent was countered by a perceived internal disconnect. Regardless, the Sabres almost had to take him as he was considered the best prospect available. Plus he had the size (6'3" 215 lbs.) and was at a position of need for the organization. After three years in a difficult situation with the franchise he is now a restricted free agent and mulling a possible move to the KHL. With Girgensons, Reinhart and (probably) Eichel, as well as Larsson, down the middle, Grigorenko may have gotten squeezed out of his natural position. His options are moving to wing, possible trade-bait, waivers to Rochester, a waiver claim taking him to another NHL team or the KHL.
Before we get into the parade of prospects down the middle, two centers, Phil Varone and Tim Schaller (who was profiled here,) are also restricted free agents and fit into the bottom-six/depth classification. Varone played well way above his talent-level in a top-line role with the Sabres last season before Larsson overtook him. He's a solid player who's two-way versatility up and down the lineup may keep him in the mix as a reserve either with Buffalo or another NHL club. Schaller is a hard-working bottom-six forward who plays bigger than his 6'2" 187 lb. frame, which is NHL-size to begin with. He knows his role as a defensive specialist and relishes it as his ticket to the NHL but he also has a good enough set of hands that could see him net a double-digit goal-total in a good year.
Because of the top-line prospects and depth the Sabres have, they can afford a long incubation period for the rest of the prospects in the pipeline.
Leading the way is JT Compher who was taken in the second round (35th) of 2013 with the pick received from Carolina in the Andrej Sekera trade. Compher has already committed to playing his junior season at Michigan and was named the teams' captain. Although he'll more than likely be on the wing at the pro level, he was drafted as a solid two-way center with a strong work ethic and a high compete-level. He has offense to his game and can find (or barrel his way to) the net. In his first two seasons with the Wolverines he totaled 55 points (23+32) in 69 games. One more season in college then on to Rochester in 2016-17 for probably a year or two of professional seasoning.
Another prospect who's a year away from the pro level is Eric Cornel (2014, 44th.) Cornel got a six-game taste of the pros when he joined Rochester at the end of last season. At 6'2" 186 lbs., he already has NHL size and he can move. Cornel plays a 200' game, is smart, defensively responsible, can score and set up, and is versatile. He played wing for the Amerks and with the depth he's looking up at, it's where he may end up. One shift in his first pro game vs. Lake Erie characterizes the type of player he is, which I wrote about here. Look for him to spend one more season in Peterborough with the Petes (OHL) before beginning his pro journey as a contemporary of Compher.
Connor Hurley was another 2013 second-rounder with size drafted with the idea of stretching out the pipeline a bit. Had he been born one day later, he would have been a certain first-round selection in the 2014 draft. Hurley just completed his freshman season at Notre Dame posting a respectable four goals and 10 assists in 41 games for the Irish. He is a playmaker with great on-ice vision and oodles of hockey sense, has a projectable frame (6'2" 174 lbs,) skates well and with a little more bulk could be looked at as a burgeoning powerforward. Two years down the road when Compher and Cornel are entering their second pro season, Hurley will be ready to join the pro ranks.
The third of five centers drafted by Buffalo in 2012 is 6'4" 212 lb. Justin Kea. Buffalo's director of player personnel, Kevin Devine, called Kea "a better skating Paul Gaustad" at the draft, referring to the former Sabres player who carved out a niche for himself as a bottom-six, power-center. Kea was signed to his entry-level deal last year and has two years remaining on it. Last year he split time between Rochester and Buffalo's ECHL affiliate, the Elmira Jackals.
Logan Nelson and Judd Peterson were the other centers drafted in 2012. Nelson (133rd) spent last year with the Quad City Mallards of the ECHL and doesn't look to be in the equation moving forward while Peterson (204th) just finished his freshman campaign at St. Cloud State with seven points (4+3) in 37 games while playing right wing. Although he was a seventh-rounder with pedestrian numbers his freshman year, it's a little to early to dismiss a hard-skating, versatile forward like Peterson. Especially if he can tap into the skill that netted him 47 goals and 87 points in 30 games for Duluth Marshall High School in Minnesota.
Not to be overlooked is Western New York's own, Sean Malone. The West Seneca native just finished his sophomore campaign with the Harvard Crimson and had a real solid season. In 21 games he scored eight goals while adding 10 assists. Malone has some jam to his game and isn't afraid of the bloody-nose areas where he scores most of his goals. He projects out as a depth forward at the NHL level.
Big-Tex Colin Jacobs just finished the second year of his entry-level pro contract, spending most of it in the ECHL with Elmira. The 6'1" 215 lb., 22 yr. old center will need a breakthrough year to garner a contract beyond next season.
Others in the system include Christian Isackson and Christopher Brown, both lower draft, long shots who are at opposite ends of the prospect spectrum. Isackson just finished a pedestrian career at Minnesota while Brown will begin his career at Boston College this fall. Brown has NHL pedigree being the son of former NHL'er Doug Brown and his brother Patrick is in the Carolina system.
When it was said that Murray was interested in moving all three of his second round picks last year to get back into the first round, we can see why. And when he said he's willing to package draft picks this year to move up in the first round he can afford to because of the sheer number of prospects the Sabres have in their system right now. There's a lot of sorting out to do, but it's a good problem to have for a rebuilding club.
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