After ranking the top 100 NHL prospects for 2015-16, and ranking each team by organizational depth, ESPN Insider Corey Pronman ranks the top 10 prospects for each NHL team. Here is his entry for the Buffalo Sabres. Extended write-ups on prospects ranked in the top 100 can be accessed here.
The Sabres' system remains highly touted, but the foundation has shifted a little. Graduations and trades have seen many of their top-end guys move on, with Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart being the lone players of clear top-100 quality.
Nick Baptiste is very interesting to me. He's a great skater with solid puck skills, a good shot, and plays hard in each end of the rink. Gustav Possler didn't have as strong a season as hoped, but he's still a quick, skilled scoring forward who has showed he can play versus men. Buffalo can afford to wait on him, due to the new CBA giving European players four years to sign, but this next season is big for Possler's NHL prospects.
Vaclav Karabacek's points aren't too gaudy, and he was also cut by the Czech Republic's under-20 team for sleeping in late. When he's on the ice, you see a lot of great tools, as his puck skills are high-end with quality speed, but he's not that well-rounded a player. William Carrier is a player I've heard NHL scouts describe anywhere from a future top-six scorer to a fourth-line grinder. That shows the range of abilities he has, but also the inconsistencies in his game.
Buffalo's depth isn't high-end, but its goalie depth is very impressive. Andrey Makarov and Linus Ullmark are good goalie prospects who have impressed versus pros, and I'm a believer in Jonas Johansson's potential as well, even though he was injured and didn't play much this past season.
Finally, I have to mention Anthony Florentino (11th), who impressed every time I saw him. He's not a dynamic defenseman, but he moves the puck well, is physical, has a big shot and is reliable in all situations.
Noteworthy prospect
Justin Bailey's a bit of a project, but as one of the league's top scorers, the tail end of his OHL career has gone well. He's big, with great hands, and has NHL scoring potential given his finishing ability. I'm concerned about whether he can make proper reads and play at a quick pace with pros, and will be looking at that area when he joins the AHL team in Rochester this season.
2015-16 impact
Eichel and Reinhart should plug and play out of camp in notable to significant roles for the Sabres right away. Depending on his NHL camp, Jake McCabe could make some noise too. Baptiste is a sleeper for NHL time, due to the lack of depth on the Sabres' roster, but I suspect he'll need AHL work for a season or two.