Buffalo has 3 prospects unsigned who the Sabres will lose their rights to on June 1st.
By Chad DeDominicis / DieByTheBlade.com
Thanks to a reminder tweet today from Cap Friendly, the Buffalo Sabres have a deadline looming on June 1 with 3 of their prospects. If they remained unsigned by 5 PM EST on June 1, the Sabres will lose their rights to these players.
The first is 2016 fifth-round pick (130 overall) Vojtech Budik. The Czech defender had a career season with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL with 14 goals and 41 points in 63 games. He also represented the Czech Republic at the U20 World Junior Championship this year in Buffalo.
Brandon Hagel, the Sabres sixth-round pick (159 overall) in the 2016 draft is another prospect who remains unsigned. An injury slowed down the early part of his season, but the 19-year-old forward still managed to score 18 goals and 59 points in 56 games for the Red Deer Rebels this season.
The last player is East Aurora native Austin Osmanski. The big defender was selected in the seventh round (189 overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft. It was a cool story when he was drafted, but it’s unlikely that Osmanski will get a contract offer from the Sabres.
In fact, it may be unlikely any of these players see a contract offer with only 10 days until the deadline and none of them being a draft pick of current general manager Jason Botterill.
If you want an unsigned player from another team to keep an eye on, look no further than Florida Panthers 2016 second-round pick Adam Mascherin. The scoring winger has already informed the Panthers that he will not sign with them.
Florida was said to be looking to deal him, but unless something comes together quickly that appears unlikely at this point.
Mascherin won’t hit the free agent market, but instead he’ll re-enter the draft next month like the three aforementioned Sabres prospects if they remained unsigned by the deadline.
*EDITOR’S NOTE — Sabres sign Asplund
The Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday announced the team has signed forward Rasmus Asplund to a 3-year, entry level contract.
Asplund (20, 5-foot-11, 176 lbs.) posted career-high totals in goals (8) assists (20) and points (28) in 50 games during his third full season with Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League in 2017-18. The Filipstad, Sweden native played in parts of 4 total SHL seasons, posting 62 points (20+42) in 170 career games.
Buffalo’s second-round pick (33rd overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Asplund also represented Sweden internationally in two legs of the Euro Hockey Tour last season, appearing in the Karjala Tournament in Finland and the Carlson Hockey Games in the Czech Republic. He previously appeared in two World Junior Championships with Sweden and served as his team’s captain at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championship.