Impressions of, and questions concerning--D, Zach Bogosian

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-28-2019

Defenseman--Zach Bogosian DOB: July 15, 1990 (Age, 29)
Draft: 2008, third-overall, Atlanta Thrashers
How acquired: Acquired in a trade with Winnipeg, February 11, 2015
Last contract signed: July 29, 2013, 7yrs./$36 million
Final year of contract: 2019-20

2018-19 Stats:  65 games | 3 goals | 16 assists | 19 points | -5 | 21:38 ATOI

Buffalo Career Stats:  224 games | 12 goals | 50 assists | 62 points | -49 | 21:43 ATOI

What we wrote preseason:  Dependent upon how things shake out at camp, 28 yr. old veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian will probably be the first one to hit the ice as a d-partner for Buffalo Sabres rookie phenom Rasmus Dahlin. That is, of course, if nothing happens to Bogosian along the way, which unfortunately is always a possibility.

Last year because of injury Bogosian's season didn't start until December 1 and it ended 18 games later as he and the rest of his season was done in by a hip injury. Bogosian underwent hip surgery in early February and with a 4-6 month recovery time now past, he's ready to go for the upcoming season.

As a veteran who's never made the playoffs in his 10-year career, and as a player who's missed a lot of time due to injury, one would think that any role, especially alongside a franchise defenseman would suit him moving forward. One should have every reason to believe that Bogosian will take on that role and relish helping Dahlin, just as he did with  Jake McCabe.

However, maybe it's best to entertain more modest goals for Bogosian like a 70-game season in a second-pairing role for a team that's a playoff contender for at least a good portion of the season. And even that might be asking too much.

What we wrote mid-season:  Once again, Bogosian was injured this season and didn't play his first game until October 16. However what we've seen from him since his return has been very, very good. Bogosian was drafted third overall because he could skate very well for his size and had a skill package that netted him 18 goals and 76 assists in 127 OHL games. And he had a mean-streak in him as well. In 21 games after being traded for, Bogosian at least piqued our interest with his game but for the three years after, nearly half of his time was spent on the injured list. He had hip surgery back in January and started out a little slow this year but has really been playing well. There's a lot of leadership emanating from him and he can be like a mean big brother on the ice protecting his siblings. Bogosian's been logging big minutes for the club and lately he's been paired a lot with Dahlin. The 6'3" 226 lb. Massena, NY native has been getting up ice and shoving the opposition around while registering seven points (2+5) in 32 games. All of those traits have contributed to Buffalo's early season success and we'll just leave it at that as we don't want to jin...

Impressions on his play this year:  Bogosian's play this season was reminiscent of his play when he first came to the Sabres four years ago--a rugged defenseman who can defend the crease and work the boards in his own end while getting up ice to contribute offensively and on occasion, deliver a cannon of a shot. 

With his days of being a big, two-way d-man with enough skating to consider him an offensive threat long gone, Bogosian has settled into more of a defensive defenseman role for Buffalo logging a team-high 2:46 minutes on the penalty kill with 58% of his starts in the defensive zone. Two years ago he mentored a young Jake McCabe and this past season he had a positive effect on Dahlin, who was free to roan while Bogosian held the fort. 

As with anything Bogosian, staying healthy is key to his effectiveness and he managed to play 65 games this season, tied for the most he's played since 2011-12. Bogosian is in the final year of a contract that paid him over $5 million annually but he only played about 50% of the games while donning the Blue and Gold and in 2019-20, either at the trade deadline or at the end of the season, the Sabres can part ways with him. However, the NHL is still a pretty tough league despite the predominance of highly skilled players taking the ice on a nightly basis and Buffalo might need a player with his rugged style of play in a third-pairing/penalty kill role, dependent upon the dollars and term of a future contract.

Questions moving forward: Did he show enough this season to warrant the Sabres keeping him around on another contract? What would said contract look like? How does he fit into their plans moving forward? Can he play in some 50 games before the trade deadline? If the Sabres are in the playoff hunt, would they keep him? If they're out, what will his value be to a playoff team or Cup-contender? Would he consider re-signing for a short-term, reduced salary in a reduced role? Should Buffalo just move on from everything Tim Murray?

Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.