JUST IN: Sabres disagree on Signing 3 stars
The Buffalo Sabres have an abundance of prospects as they approach the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on June 28 and 29. According to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, the Sabres will not be signing three specific prospects by the deadline on Saturday, June 1.
Mats Lindgren
The Vancouver native, chosen in the fourth round of the 2022 Entry Draft, was considered a steal for the Sabres at the time. However, the defenseman has struggled to improve his production in the Western Hockey League since achieving a career-high of 44 points in 68 games during the 2021-22 season. The 19-year-old’s point total decreased to 34 in the 2022-23 season and slightly rose to 41 in 2023-24. As a result, Lindgren will be re-entering this year’s draft.
Albert Lyckasen
The right-shot defenseman, selected by the Sabres 193rd overall in 2020, has similarly struggled with consistency. In the 2021-22 season, Lyckasen achieved a career-high of 19 points in 51 games at the professional level in Sweden. However, his production declined to nine points in 39 games the following season and slightly improved to 14 points in 36 games with BIK Karlskoga in Sweden during the 2023-24 season.
Jakub Konecny
The Sabres’ forward prospect depth is widely acknowledged, and Konecny, a center selected 23 picks after Lyckasen at 216th overall in 2020, is affected by this. Over the past three seasons with Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga, the 21-year-old has only managed to tally 30 points in 121 career games.
In reality, with seven rounds in an NHL Entry Draft for all 32 clubs, general managers can’t expect every selection to pan out. With a limit of 50 contracts per team, it becomes challenging to sign every prospect, as is the case with the Sabres and these three prospects (Lindgren, Lyckasen, Konecny). Unfortunately, the decision not to sign them to entry-level contracts is justified due to their lack of production in their respective leagues. However, it doesn’t rule out opportunities elsewhere in North America.
For Lindgren, who was once projected as a late second or third-round pick, there’s a possibility that an NHL club might take a chance on him and invite him to their rookie camp. It would also be intriguing to see another Mats Lindgren in the NHL (the first Mats Lindgren played between 1993 and 2003). As for Konecny and Lyckasen, it may be more challenging for them given their seventh-round draft status, but they could be considered by American Hockey League teams looking for depth additions.
It’s undoubtedly disappointing for players to go undrafted after being selected by an NHL team, but it’s a reality that more may face, especially considering the Sabres’ roster situation. According to CapFriendly, excluding Arttu Ruotsalainen, who will become a 27-year-old unrestricted free agent in 2025, the Sabres have 19 prospects to make decisions on between now and August 2028. With the draft approaching in less than a month, the Sabres, like other teams, may part ways with a prospect or two while aiming to strengthen their prospect pool with eight picks in the upcoming draft. With the consensus suggesting a drop-off in talent after the 20th overall pick, it remains to be seen how the Sabres will approach rounds two through seven.