According to reports the Buffalo Sabres will be adding another defenseman to the mix in Lawrence Pilut. The Swedish defender will come over from HV71 of the SHL.
Pilut won the SHL championship last season with HV71 and followed that up by leading all defenseman in scoring with eight goals and 38 points in 52 games this past season.
The 22-year-old is a left shot defenseman that has offensive upside. Similar to the type of reports we heard last offseason on Victor Antipin.
Pilut had the most points by a defenseman in the SHL this past season at 22 years old #Sabres
Was also awarded the Salming Trophy as the best Swedish-native defenseman in the SHL #Sabres
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) April 27, 2018
Here is a scouting report from Jokke Nevalainen of Dobber Prospects on Pilut:
“The 22-year-old Pilut is an offense-minded defenseman who plays big minutes in all situations. His skating is good but not great. He’s not a very physical player but uses his smarts to play a solid defensive game. He doesn’t have a heavy shot but is good at finding open lanes to get pucks to the net. Pilut should have multiple NHL offers on his table once his season is over because he’s one of the most interesting free agents available. He could start next season in the NHL if he can quickly adjust to the smaller rink size after only playing in Sweden so far in his career.”
And some additional observations from Corey Pronman –
“Good player. Not dynamic but smart can skate handle the puck fine. Projects as a powerplay guy.”