The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 40 NHL games. 

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#11 - Nikita Novikov - Defense (Rochester - AHL)

Novikov was the Sabres sixth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft after playing in the junior level MHL in the Moscow Dynamo system and an impressive performance for Russia at the 2021 IIHF Under-18s. The 6’4″, 218 lb. blueliner is physical and plays well positionally, which enabled him to play 94 KHL games over two seasons as a teenager. 

After signing his entry-level deal with the Sabres, the 21-year-old came to North America and adjusted to the AHL game fairly quickly, putting up 23 points (3 goals, 20 assists) in 65 games as a rookie. In his second season, the 22-year-old put up nearly identical stats (20 points in 68 games) but doubled his goal-scoring output to six. 

Former Amerks head coach Seth Appert said that Novikov’s offensive instincts are underrated, but that he will have to build on his large frame and get stronger to make the NHL down the road. The hurdle he will have to jump is that he is likely fifth or sixth on the Sabres depth chart in terms of left-handed defenseman, behind Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, Mattias Samuelsson and Ryan Johnson, which could mean that his path to the NHL may require a trade out of Buffalo. 

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