|
2021-22 Buffalo Sabres: 3RD – Mark Pysyk |
|
|
|
|
|
A little over five years ago, on day two of the 2016 NHL draft, former Sabres General Manager Tim Murray traded Mark Pysyk – the Sabres’ first round selection in 2010 – for Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and the 33rd selection in the 2016 draft (Rasmus Asplund). The topic of analytics was just beginning to go mainstream in terms of fan awareness and some questioned whether it was a good idea to part with the analytic wunderkind Pysyk for the more truculent Kulikov. Then-coach Dan Bylsma felt the addition of Kulikov was a solid idea to bring some balance to their defensive pairs while also adding a bit of sandpaper.
“One of our biggest pressing needs is a left shot,” Bylsma said following the 2016 draft. “(Kulikov) is a good skater but he plays with an edge. He brings that unequivocally every night."
The Kulikov era never really panned out as planned in Buffalo. He suffered a freak injury in an exhibition game against the Toronto Maple Leafs when he fell into an open door to the players bench and was limited to 47 games as a result. He totaled 5 points and a -26 rating in his one and only season before moving onto the Winnipeg Jets the next year.
Pysyk, meanwhile, played four seasons with the Panthers before departing for a one-year stint with the Dallas Stars. The offensive numbers for the 6’1”, 196 lb. defenseman aren’t anything too exciting as he’s never hit the 20-point mark, although he did tally 9 goals in 2019-2020 while playing a utility role under Panthers coach Joel Quenneville.
Evaluating the trade in retrospect is a mixed bag for the Sabres with Pysyk making more of an impact for Florida than Kulikov did in Buffalo, but there’s still the additional compensation of Asplund to consider. Asplund was given a slowish development path, but he finally surfaced as a legitimate middle-6 option under coach Don Granato in 2021 when he scored 10 points in 23 games. It’s impossible to know at this point where Asplund will top out, but if he turns into a solid third line center, then the trade will look ok after initially appearing to be a bad one. Anyway, all of that is in the past now as Asplund will now play with Pysyk after being part of the trade that saw Pysyk moved out of town a half a decade ago which makes for an interesting storyline.
The Sabres had a pressing need for a right-shot defenseman after they moved out Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers and Will Borgen was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft this off-season, so picking up Pysyk to play third pairing minutes was a rational decision by Sabres management at this juncture. It’s a fun twist of fate that it was the abundance of right-hand defensemen that was the primary reason for him leaving while the lack of right-hand defense that sees him come back during this turbulent time but Pysyk will not fill the physical void left by the two aforementioned Sabres.
Pysyk figures to slot in on a depth role that will see him play somewhat sparing minutes all of which will likely come on defense. It seems unlikely that Pysyk will return to the hybrid defense/forward role that he played under Quenneville in Florida that earned him the nickname “Prius.” Side note: as far as nicknames go, that is a pretty funny and original moniker as compared to the boiler plate types that we usually hear from hockey players. Pysyk is definitely in Buffalo to play defense, though.
In terms of on-ice impact, you won’t see a lot of flash and sizzle. The Sabres will likely get somewhere around 18 points from the 29-year-old in a sheltered role on the 3rd pair where he won’t be asked to do too much. Pysyk’s value has always been in his underlying numbers that have largely been good since he entered the league nine seasons ago. In the 2015-16 season with the Sabres, Pysyk posted positive value in both the offensive and defensive numbers, according to data provided by evolvinghockey.com, and since then his value has mostly rested in the defensive side of the puck. Pysyk’s even-strength defense is consistently on the good side with both his expected goals above replacement (xGAR) and goals against replacement (GAR) showing positive value. His impact on the defensive end of the ice is largely a result of his ability to exit the zone cleanly via tidy outlet passes.
His analytic impact on the offensive side of the puck is much like what we see from Zemgus Girgensons. His offensive xGAR outstrips his actual production on an almost annual basis, although in all honesty, it’s been years since I’ve watched Pysyk with any regularity to so it’s hard to say if this is because he doesn’t have finishing ability or whether he is on the ice with bottom-six teammates who tend to finish scoring opportunities at a lower rate. His numbers in Dallas this year were especially favorable for his offensive generation although the tangible results did not follow.
Pysyk does not excel on either the powerplay or the penalty kill although he can do both in a pinch. His impacts on both special teams areas of the game have largely been so-so or sub-par so keeping him focused on the 5-on-5 area of the game at around 14 minutes a night seems like a sweet spot for the Sabres to extract good value from their recent reacquisition. He did quietly put up some passable numbers on the penalty kill with Dallas last year and he could very well be asked to repeat that role under Don Granato which will make for a storyline to follow heading into training camp. In terms of physical play, there’s not too much there beyond the odd hit.
Overall, the Sabres made a solid $900k choice to bring back the steady Pysyk on a one-year deal. It’s the type of depth move that would look really good on a contending team – which this Sabres team is not. Pysyk will put up solid-but-unspectacular offensive numbers and good underlying defensive value for a bargain basement price. He could probably be moved for a 4th or 5th round pick at the trade deadline or possibly extended if things go well in Buffalo.
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»