Thanks to a reminder tweet today from Cap Friendly, the Buffalo Sabres have a deadline looming on June 1st with three 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.
You can find the full list of players from the Cap Friendly tweet below:
With 10 days to go, attached is the current list of previously drafted players who must be signed to an Entry Level contract by June 1 @ 5pm EST by their respective clubs.
If left unsigned, the drafting club will lose their signing rights to these players. pic.twitter.com/Q3pAvS0rN3
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) May 22, 2018