2 players the Sabres wish they had back

Okay, the first two names coming into the minds of many fans may be Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Great players, but that would mean no Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, or the up-and-comer in Devon Levi. So, I can do without them, even if they each have a Stanley Cup to their names while the Sabres are still the Sabres. 

Meanwhile, there are two players whose names came to mind immediately, and no, they’re nobody you’d have probably thought of. Neither one of these players listed below were going to score 100 points a year. But they both played solid defense this past season to go with limited average total ice time. 

Yet, the Sabres could’ve used that blueliner and the defensive forward mentioned because, well, they allowed so many goals that it was the sole reason they missed the playoffs. It’s something you don’t see from too many teams that finish in the top 10 in scoring. So, we’re going with a lesser-known defenseman and a former fan favorite. 

Ilya Lyubushkin

Oh yes, Ilya Lyubushkin was the first player I thought of when concocting this article. While I’d have only had him skating low second and high third-pairing minutes alongside Connor Clifton, Lyubushkin was a shot-blocking machine this year, getting in front of 136 shots just one season after logging 168. 

Given the Sabres inability to stop shots from going in the net this season, a few more blocks may have changed some of those outcomes. Or, a hundred blocks. Either way, Lyubushkin wouldn’t have done much offensively, but the Sabres didn’t need that. Instead, he’d have at least given Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen some much-needed help. 

Zemgus Girgensons

While I’m glad to see Zemgus Girgensons at least played in a playoff series, he helped the wrong team get there. Like Lyubushkin, Girgensons wasn’t scoring points, and he notched just six in 82 games. But he was a sledgehammer, a play crusher, and he saw just 22 shots go into his team’s own net at even strength. 

Once again, Girgensons showed his value as a fourth-liner, and his 93.2 on-ice save percentage shows it. Sure, he had a better team in Tampa, but he was at a solid 92.1 in that same category last season with the Sabres. 

Both Girgensons and Lyubushkin would have thrived in Lindy Ruff’s more aggressive system. That would’ve further fit their respective personas and added a much-needed defensive edge to what was yet another struggling Sabres team.