@boosbuzzsabres
I must admit, a month or two ago I was ready to write off Sabres wing-prospect Alexander Nylander. His professional career seemed to be stuck in a rut and although tough to do, moving on from an eighth-overall pick in a "change of scenery" trade seemed to be where his future was destined. However, what a pleasant surprise he's been lately over in Rochester.
Nylander, who just turned 21 yrs. old, had been plugging along with the Americans in the two-plus years since he was drafted by the Sabres in 2016. He started out his junior season in Rochester at a point/game with four goals and five assists in his first nine games of the season then got into a pretty good funk. The worst of it started in December as he went on a 19-game stretch from mid-December through February where he scored only scored five points (1+4) including a 13-game stretch where he went without a goal.
Then his 21st birthday hit on March 3. Nylander celebrated the moment in Syracuse with a goal and an assist along with a +3 rating as the Amerks came out on top in a clash of the top two teams in the North Division. The 5-3 win over the Crunch (TBL) put Rochester back on top in the division. Nylander's tally would spark a four-game goal-streak for the winger and his reward was a recall to Buffalo yesterday.
The knock on him at the draft centered upon his lack of engagement, at least on a full-time basis. Nylander always had the skill, with some saying he was the most talented player in the 2016 NHL Draft, however he was said to disappear for long stretches only to come through with a burst either in-game or over the course of a number of games and it showed in his first two-plus seasons in Rochester. As this Sabres season began to deteriorate, there were calls from the fanbase for Nylander to get the call but as we saw, he was nowhere near being worthy of a jump to the NHL. Props to the organization for sticking with a plan that included not babying the young man.
Nylander represents a crucial moment in Buffalo's development of their youngins. He has struggled since making a jump to the pros as an 18 yr. old, which isn't really surprising as many an teenager gets overwhelmed playing against older, tougher competition. However, with the organization laid barren after a scorched-earth rebuild that commenced in 2016, missing on an eighth-overall pick from that draft would be a huge setback for the Sabres despite the potential success of some players moving up the ranks. And conversely, should Nylander be able to contribute a the NHL-level commensurate with his individual skill-level, it would add a big, young piece to the forward ranks in Buffalo.
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It would seem as if Nylander got the call in anticipation of some disciplinary action against captain Jack Eichel. The announcement of Nylander's recall came prior to Eichel's hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety concerning a hit he dolled out against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon.
Eichel was on the receiving end of a late hit in the head by former Sabre Nikita Zadorov in the first period of a rough and tumble game in Colorado. The 22 yr. old would later make contact with the head of Avalanche center Carl Soderberg late in the second period and after the game Buffalo got word that the DPS had scheduled a hearing with him. Eichel ended up getting a two-game suspension which begins tomorrow night as the Dallas Stars visit KeyBank Center.
There's no doubt the Zadorov hit pushed Eichel a bit over the edge and forced him to try and take matters into his own hands. "You've just got to play physical," he told the gathered media post-game. "I mean, it's a physical game, right? That's it. That's all it is. Finish your checks. Other teams like to do it to us. I don't see why we don't do it back.
"It seems like they were taking runs a little bit at times. If I'm going to be at the forefront of it, I might as well push back a little bit. I've got to protect myself."
Eichel emerged post-game after an extended closed locker room, according to reporters, and he was not happy with what Zadorov did. "He hits me after they [effing], excuse my language, blow the whistle," said an angry captain. "That's...whatever."
The Zadorov hit on Eichel and the reaction from those on the ice wasn't quite a Milan Lucic/Ryan Miller moment where the former bowled over the latter without any immediate retribution from Miller's on-ice team mates. At least this time there was a visible display of anger on the part of a few Sabres players. An always even-keeled Casey Nelson lacked any passion as he simply went up to Zadorov without doing anything but it was good to see Nelson's d-partner, Marco Scandella, thrust himself at Zadorov and bring him to the ice. A normally passive Sam Reinhart jumped into the fray on top of those two while Jeff Skinner engaged with Avs forward Mikko Rantenen that led to roughing penalties for both of them.
Buffalo needs a lot of toughness, both mental and physical, moving forward but at least they have a captain in Eichel whose blood is always pumping and, for now, a player in Skinner who's as feisty as the come for a player his size and with his skill-level.
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If we never see rookie forward Casey Mittelstadt on checking center Johan Larsson's wing it will be too soon. What exactly was going through coach Phil Housley's head with that move is uncertain but the line of Mittelstadt, Larsson and right wing Jason Pominville accounted for a grand total of two shots on goal and only one other shot attempt. The team itself had a mere seven shots on goal through the first two periods and we should place that move by Housley firmly in the epic fail department.
Mittelstadt had been making some serious strides in the offenseive department until Housley's offensive move set him back for a game. The good news concerning Eichel's suspension is that Housley won't be able to pull of a dumb move like that as Mittelstadt is needed at center.
Where Housley puts Nylander and Mittelstadt should be interesting. A move to the top line between Skinner and Reinhart is worth a look for Mittelstadt and Nylander on a line with Evan Rodrigues and Conor Sheary looks intriguing.
But, who know how far Houlsey's reaching these days?
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