Which Sabres Offseason Acquisition Will Have the Biggest Impact?

Second on this list is Isaac Belliveau, who was acquired as part of the Sabres’ trade for Conor Timmins. He is a 22-year-old defender that is also going to be American Hockey League (AHL)-bound as he is still developing his abilities. While he possesses some decent two-way ability and had seven points in the minors last season, he will not be on the Sabres’ main roster by the time the season starts, either.

Third would have to be Jake Leschyshyn. The 26-year-old centerman is destined for the minors as he has not seen any regular NHL action in his career since his rookie season in Las Vegas. The Sabres added him as a depth piece to complement their roster in Rochester, and he will do fine down there, as there are a lot of other call-up options before him.

Fourth up would be forward Mason Geertson. The 30-year-old has spent the majority of his career in the minors, and it is expected that he will be sent there again. This signing was more of a “toughness” move as Geertson is a 6-foot-4 fighter who can be called upon when head coach Lindy Ruff needs some scrappiness for a game or two.

Next would be Carson Meyer. He is an offensive defender that has amassed six points in his 41-game NHL career and 131 points across 201 AHL games. He is a solid depth signing, but he, too, will be sent to the Americans when the season begins.

Sixth would be defender Zac Jones, who the Sabres also signed in free agency. He played a career-high 46 games with the New York Rangers last season and managed to put up 11 points in that span. As a 24-year-old defender, he absolutely still has some room to grow and develop his game, so adding him was a solid move to potentially be a seventh or eighth defender.

Lastly, there is Justin Danforth. The Sabres signed him to a two-year contract on July 2, and he will be a gritty replacement for Sam Lafferty, who was traded away to the Chicago Blackhawks. He is a solid, gritty forward who is not afraid to get involved with plays anywhere on the ice, and play hard every shift. While he will be an improvement from the player that was shipped out, he will not likely provide a massive impact based on the type of player that he is.

Players With Moderate Impact

Out of the players that have been brought in, the first that comes to mind when it comes to making just enough of a difference to be noticed, but not enough that it has that “wow” factor, I am going to go with Alex Lyon. The veteran goaltender was brought in as insurance, mostly in case Devon Levi is not ready for the NHL yet, and if Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has another “off” season. He is not the greatest goalie in the world, but he is definitely good enough to get a team some wins when they need them. He carried the Detroit Red Wings to a few wins, and there is no reason he cannot do that in Buffalo when he mans the crease. His career 2.99 goals-against average (GAA) and .902 save percentage (SV%) are right around the same average as the current Sabres goalie regime, so he will not be any worse than them.

The next choice here is Timmins. The 26-year-old defender is very good at what he does, but he will likely be their third-pairing defender alongside Mattias Samuelsson when the season begins. His numbers do not favor him being a much higher presence than that, but there is nothing wrong with that either. The Sabres have needed some stability on their back end, and swapping out Connor Clifton for Timmins will be a nice upgrade for sure.

Players With Noticeable Impact

It is only fitting that the players left are the ones that were involved with the Sabres’ biggest move this summer. First up will have to be Josh Doan. The son of famed Phoenix (Arizona) Coyotes (now Utah Mammoth) forward Shane Doan, Josh is a gritty and skilled power forward with a lot to offer. The 23-year-old has not yet had his breakout season, but with the opportunity to move up in the lineup, and with a top-six forward spot right there for the taking, this kid will have the opportunity to do something special. Will he drop a 40-goal season? No, not likely, but the way he plays the game will be something that is very noticeable, especially in Buffalo. He has grit, he has heart, and he plays every shift like he means it. There was a reason he was such a big part of the return for Peterka, and time will see that return pay off nicely.

The last player and one to likely make the most impact on this team is Michael Kesselring. The right-handed towering defender has a booming shot that will likely be paired up with either top defender Rasmus Dahlin or budding young hopeful Owen Power, and having him alongside either one is beyond exciting. He defends well, plays the transition game just as well, and boy oh boy, can he shoot the puck. While he may not light up the scoresheet, the sheer velocity of his shot is just a marvel to watch, and it will be a very nice complement to the booming shots coming from Tage Thompson on the wing. His 29 points would have had him ranked fourth among Sabres defenders in points last season, and his plus-4 rating would have been third. Having him to stabilize this team’s backend will be a big difference maker.

The Sabres, while they did not make a ton of huge moves, have made some calculated ones in the hopes that it will solve their playoff woes. Some of these players will have an effect on that. Others, not so much. The only thing left to do is wait until the season comes around, and we finally get to see how this all plays out.