Buffalo Sabres 2019 NHL Draft Rankings: Looking at potential lottery targets
By Austin Owens
With the Buffalo Sabres looking toward the offseason and the NHL draft, we look at the top prospects in the class of 2019.
We’re just under two weeks away from the NHL’s draft lottery. The annual television special is set to take place on April 9, just a day before the 2019 playoffs get underway.
For several teams, the season is over and young up and coming talent is being given a shot to audition for a spot next year.
The Buffalo Sabres are in an all-too-familiar position with the final game of the year looming. In November, the team was firing on all cylinders, winning 11 straight games – a team record. At the one point in the month, the Sabres sat atop the entire league with a 17-6-2 record.
On New Year’s Eve, they sat in the third spot in the Atlantic Division, but 2019 has been anything but kind to them.
Since January, the team has gone 10-16-4 and now sit second to last in their division and bottom five in the league.
There are certainly some bright spots to build on. Jack Eichel has a career-high 77 points, Jeff Skinner has returned to being a top scoring threat, and Rasmus Dahlin will finish his first NHL campaign with over 40 points.
After the promise the team showed, it’ll be a tough offseason for the fanbase, with more questions to be addressed throughout the summer. However, they’ll be able to get another top 10 pick.
Here’s a look at the top 15 prospects available in this year’s draft.