Carter Hutton, G -- The 32-year-old goaltender is poised for his heaviest workload yet with the Sabres; he cut into Jake Allen's starts last season and had the best save percentage in the NHL (.931; minimum 20 games). Hutton also ranked third in even-strength SV% (.936) behind Pekka Rinne (.939) and Antti Raanta (.937) and is Buffalo's clear No. 1 goalie and a potential mentor for 25-year-old Linus Ullmark. If Buffalo's offseason moves pay off, Hutton could return value as a sleeper outside the first 10 rounds of a 12-team draft.
Casey Mittelstadt, C -- The Sabres traded center Ryan O'Reilly to the Blues on July 1, freeing up the second-line center spot for Mittelstadt. Patrik Berglund, 30, may be a safer candidate to claim that role to start, but Mittelstadt, 19, performed well in his NHL stint late last season (five points in six games) and is a sneaky rookie worth targeting in deeper fantasy leagues. He'll likely have an experienced right wing (Kyle Okposo, Jason Pominville) on his line and proved he's ready for the next step by scoring nearly a point per game (30 points in 34 games) as a freshman at University of Minnesota.
Other players with fantasy upside in late rounds or off waiver wire: Kyle Okposo, RW; Conor Sheary, LW/RW; Vladimir Sobotka, LW; Jason Pominville, RW\; Linus Ullmark, G\\; Tage Thompson, RW
\Potential 2019 unrestricted free agent
\\Potential 2019 restricted free agent