Buffalo Sabres: 4 takeaways from Jason Botterill’s press conference

3) Young prospects not guaranteed to play full-time next season

It was a season of repeated and excruciating lows. However, it wasn’t all bad.

Jack Eichel continued to grow and show he can be a bona fide superstar for the better part of the next decade. And after a disappointing first half of the season, Sam Reinhart bounced back to have a career year.

Another reason for at least some cheer during this season was the play of the young prospects. This was best highlighted in the recent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Despite losing 7-5, the game offered a tantalizing glimpse of what the future could look like in Buffalo. That’s because Casey Mittelstadt and Alexander Nylander both scored their first NHL goal.

Mittelstadt in particular gave hope for the future in his brief stint towards the end of this season. He finished with five points (one goals and four assists) in six games; impressive considering it was the first action he had seen at the NHL level.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean Mittelstadt and company will become regular starters next season. And the reasoning actually makes a lot of sense.

As Botterill explained, it’s great that the young prospects gained invaluable experience at the NHL level. And there were certainly some positives along the way.

However, using Mittelstadt as an example, the 41-year-old pointed out that the center lost five of the six games he played in the NHL. The team wants to make sure he — and others — don’t fall into the trap of losing, which has affected the passion of players such as O’Reilly.