Sabres Could Be Interested In NCAA Free Agent Blueliners
Buffalo has plenty of forward prospects but could be looking for defensive depth options
Sabres Could Be Interested In NCAA Free Agent BluelinersThe Buffalo Sabres are still in the mix for the playoffs with just under a month to go in the regular season, but GM Kevyn Adams is likely also concentrating on improving the club for the future beyond this year.
The trade of Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado for Bowen Byram added a quality top-pairing blueliner to the fold, which Adams indicated has been a top priority, but organizationally the club still may be looking to address depth on defense.
At the NHL level, the Sabres are in a solid position with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson extended on long-term deals, Byram under control next season, veteran Connor Clifton signed for two more years, and Henri Jokiharju eligible for arbitration, but other than former first-rounder Ryan Johnson, the club’s blueline prospects are either early in their college careers or still in the CHL.
One avenue that Adams could be exploring is signing undrafted NCAA free agents, who are closer to being ready to step in as professionals in their early 20s, as Calgary did with Minnesota State-Mankato forward Sam Morton and Boston did with Notre Dame defenseman Drew Bavaro last week.
Three possible defensive options are Dylan Anhorn of St. Cloud State, Zach Bookman of Merrimack, and Colton Huard of the University of New Hampshire.
Anhorn is 25 years old and played in the AJHL and BCHL before playing two years at Union College and using the NCAA transfer portal to move to St. Cloud State, where he had 32 points (6 goals, 26 assists) as a senior.
Bookman is a 21-year-old right-hander and a native of Syracuse, NY, who scored 102 points for the AJHL Brooks Bandits before shifting back to the NCAA and scoring 28 points this season as a sophomore with Merrimack.
Huard is likely someone that the Sabres are familiar with being from nearby Welland, ON, and playing on the same team as 2021 Buffalo draftee Stiven Sardarian. The 22-year-old junior is right-handed (something that Buffalo is in short supply of), 6’3”, 198 lb., and has 22 points (5 goals, 17 assists) in 36 games.
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