A lot can happen in a week, so let’s take a view of the Sabres from 30,000 feet – 9,144 meters for Sabres fans north of the border – and recap the week while also taking a glimpse at the weekend ahead. Neither here, nor there, nor anywhere, but is it “meters” or “metres” in Canada? Inquiring minds need to know.
Anyway, we’ve got Olympians, a potential new first line, and players returning from injury to talk about.
Let’s get to it.
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Defenseman Owen Power and Devon Levi both competed for Team Canada in the Olympics this year which must have been such an amazing experience for two young guys just beginning their journey as professional hockey players, and for that matter, two guys just beginning their adult lives.
Congratulations to both of them for getting to that stage.
Unfortunately for Devon Levi, he wasn’t able to get into any games, and that, frankly, is a complete travesty. The kid is having a Hobey Baker worthy season in the NCAA and he didn’t even get a taste of representing his country on the biggest stage despite being red-hot at the collegiate level.
This isn’t Tikhonov pulling Tretiak in 1980, but dang, it would have been something to see Levi get a real opportunity.
Hopefully he can go back to Northeastern and tear it up for the remainder of the year and continue his push to capture the top individual prize in men’s collegiate hockey. The overwhelming belief is that he will turn pro following the conclusion of the college season and join the Sabres organization, and from there, we’ll just have to see how quickly he can make it to the show.
Sabres brass should be thrilled with how things went for Owen Power at the Olympics by comparison. Sure, Power fell short of medaling but he led all Canadians in ice time with 21:38 in ice time. His next closest compatriot was Maxim Noreau (definitely heard of him as long as there are no follow-up questions) at 18:26 minutes per game which demonstrates how much the Canadian staff leaned on the young blueliner during the tournament. Power finished with a +2 rating with 1 assist in 5 games. Would you like to see more offense? Probably, but the 1st overall pick acquitted himself very well in Beijing.
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The top line of the Sabres attracted plenty of attention following Jeff Skinner’s 5-point night against the Montreal Canadiens. The trio of Skinner, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch finished the night with nine points and pretty well dominated Les Habitants. There’s a lot to like about that line: you have a finisher in Skinner, a big guy up the middle in Thompson, and a puck hound in Tuch who can pretty much do anything you ask him to do.
There seems to be a pervasive belief that what Tage Thompson is doing for the Sabres as a centerman is a flash in the pan, or a bit of hot puck luck, but there is reason to believe that what he’s doing – if unsustainable from an offensive perspective – is still sustainable from a growth perspective. Let’s take a look at his player card via evolving hockey:
Certainly there is room for his offensive production to plateau and even regress. Equally, there is a chance that as he acclimatizes to the NHL as a centerman, he can grow his defensive game and use his reach to take away lanes in the defensive zone. Will he ever be a Selke-level center? Almost certainly not, but there is plenty of room for him to grow his defensive game while continuing to fill out his frame as a 6’7” center. Players with Thompson’s height and stick reach simply don’t exist, really, and as he learns the nuances of the game, he will round out his repertoire.
Alex Tuch likewise has been incredible for the Sabres since joining the squad full time. You probably know the stats: 19 points in 17 games. He forechecks with the tenacity of a rabid honey badger. He is the straw that stirs the drink on this line because he can fill any role asked of him: he can be F1 (meaning he can track down a puck on a dump-in), he can lead the breakout, he can score from in front of the net, and he can set guys up. He – like Thompson – is probably due for some offensive regression, although a player of his tenacity operating at 65-points a year is still darn good.
As for Jeff Skinner, well, reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated. He has topped 20 goals again and he still possesses elite wheels and a determination to head toward the net. He’ll be fine for the next 2-3 years when deployed offensively.
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Don’t sell your shares of Casey Mittelstadt yet.
He’s had a lost year and much more was expected of him during the 2021-2022 campaign, but he’s still the same player who had 17 points in 21 games to end last season under head coach Don Granato. It’s easy to forget about Mittelstadt with all the hoopla surrounding the emergence of Peyton Krebs and the steady play of Dylan Cozens, but Mittelstadt can still be a solid contributor to this team moving forward.
He’s scheduled to return to the lineup on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche and his expected linemates based on practice will be Kyle Okposo and Rasmus Asplund. That’s a perfect blend of offense and defense for Mittelstadt to fall into. It will take him a few games to find his legs again, but after a week or so fans will hopefully be reminded of the Mittestadt they saw at the World Junior Championship at the Ralph a few years back.
Whether he has a place at center or wing moving forward is unknown. Either way there is reason to believe that the playmaking skill is there and there's potential to become a real top-six contributor.
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • 
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