Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt are the Sabres’ future at center. Buffalo hopes the duo fills out the top two lines for at least the next eight years.
But every good team has capable third- and fourth-line centers, the guys who chip in offensively and shut it down in the defensive zone. The Sabres see Sean Malone, who signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Sabres on Thursday, as someone who can grow into that role.
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After four years at Harvard University (and one season finale for Buffalo), Malone began the 2017-18 season with Rochester of the American Hockey League. The start to his pro career was a struggle, to say the least.
The nicked-up Malone needed five games just to record a shot. It took 10 games before he earned his first point, an assist. Just past the midway point, Malone was languishing near the bottom of the league with two goals, three assists and 35 shots in 38 games.
Then it clicked. He became one of the Amerks’ best players for the final 35 games, recording 10 goals, 17 points and 65 shots — huge increases over his first half.
The slow start puts the 23-year-old in the company of three of the NHL’s better bottom-six centers, who had similar learning curves.
Brandon Dubinsky, Adam Lowry and Casey Cizakas all struggled during the first half of their opening AHL season, but came on down the stretch and used the improvement as a springboard to the NHL.
Dubinsky was kept off the score sheet in nine of his opening 11 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2006-07. After 36 games, he had seven goals and nine assists – better than Malone, but certainly not among the elite. In Dubinsky’s final 35 games, he doubled his goal output with 14 and added 13 assists.
He became a full-time NHLer the following year, a role he’s held for 11 seasons. While he’s been able to move up to a scoring line at times, he’s made a name as a complementary center who puts up around 14 goals and 40 points.
In 2011-12, Cizakas joined the New York Islanders’ AHL team in Bridgeport. He was routinely on the score sheet in junior hockey, but was streaky as a first-year pro. There was a two-goal game here and a three-point game there, but he was blanked in 18 of his opening 29 games, putting up five goals and 11 assists. During the final 23 games, Cizakas had 10 goals and added 19 assists.
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He annually puts up around eight goals and 23 points as the Islanders’ bottom-line spark plug.
Lowry has a similar tale. He had five goals and eight assists during his opening 32 games for St. John’s of the AHL in 2013-14. During the final 32 games, he had 12 goals and eight assists. He’s become a 15-goal, 30-point guy for Winnipeg while playing behind centers Mark Scheifele, Bryan Little and Paul Stastny.
Eichel and Mittelstadt will need that kind of help for Buffalo to succeed. Patrik Berglund is expected to alternate with Mittelstadt on the second and third lines next season, while Johan Larsson is signed for the fourth line.
But Malone is certainly a candidate to move up, perhaps as early as the middle of next season if his progress continues. He was double-shifting for the Amerks during their three-game playoff series and took the crucial faceoffs.
As he gains experience, Malone will have competition for that vital NHL role behind Eichel and Mittelstadt. Rasmus Asplund, a two-way player in Sweden, has joined the organization. Andrew Oglevie signed after starring at Notre Dame. Cliff Pu, a third-round pick in 2016, has ended a successful junior career.
Malone has a one-year head start, and he can tell the newcomers that it’s not always easy during the first pro year. Dubinsky, Lowry and Cizikas can tell them all that it gets way better if the second-half improvement continues.
