Sabres’ Jack Quinn Is a Surprise Addition to the Taxi Squad

When the Buffalo Sabres drafted Jack Quinn with their eighth overall selection in the 2020 draft, they faced a lot of heat. With Marco Rossi and Cole Perfetti still on the board and Quinn being lower on most draft rankings, it was considered a reach. Now, it has been three months – he played for Team Canada at the U20 World Juniors and didn’t impress that much, especially since he was given a spot on the second line. He did showcase his potential, though in flashes, making strong breakout passes like the one below.

After the heartbreaking loss to the United States, Quinn went to Buffalo training camp and impressed head coach Ralph Krueger. Although the Sabres haven’t finalized a plan for him, skating with the taxi-squad is the only option.

He was not in the opening night lineup, and is expected to be ready if the Sabres have any players injured over these first few games. Practicing on the penalty-kill unit, he may be given a chance to get some action there if the opportunity arises.

The move to keep Quinn on the team is surprising, to say the least. He is not physically ready, and although the skills are there, it would seem to be best suited for his development to play in the minors. When the Ontario Hockey League starts back up, expect that Quinn will probably be reassigned to the Ottawa 67’s. This is just a way to get an extended look at the prospect.

Let’s take a deep dive on why Quinn needs to develop more in the minors before playing in his first NHL game.

A Poor World Junior Performace for Team Canada

I am typically the guy that advocates for the World Juniors not to be a topic when evaluating a prospect, as it is a small sample size. Look at Nathan MacKinnon, who scored only one point in six games for Canada in 2013, but is now one of the best players in the league. It can be brought up, though, because it highlighted some of the flaws in Quinn’s game that were exposed against his own age group. He didn’t impact the game in the way he was expected to.

Prospects such as Seth Jarvis and Shane Wright arguably could have had a more productive tournament and increased the odds for Canada to win the gold medal. It is never one’s player’s fault, and this is a teenager that is being discussed here, but the criticism of his game is fair.

The Sabres must take advantage of the opportunity and play the prospects that are too good for the Major Junior leagues and allow for them to develop with professionals.

Overall, Jack Quinn is an extremely hard-working young man, and he has overcome most challenges that he’s faced. Instead of sitting him on the taxi squad and playing him when he likely isn’t ready for NHL competition, play him in the AHL and let him slowly develop until the OHL starts up.