Founded: 1970
Arena: HSBC Arena
Stanley Cup wins: 0
2008-09 Sabres Preview:
(See below for the team ranking from last season)
Not many teams can be gutted at center and still put up a respectable front. The Sabres let Daniel Briere and Chris Drury walk as free agents before last season, but the forwards didn't miss a beat. Buffalo's 251 goals ranked fourth in the NHL.
So why did they miss the playoffs by four points? They had an awful mid-season stretch. Their shootout record was a dismal 1-5, and they gave up too many goals. Free agent defenseman Craig Rivet should help shore up the defense. But the real question is whether young forwards like Derek Roy and Jason Pominville can repeat their career years.
Buffalo’s four lines could be as deep as any in the East, though Tim Connolly is still injured half the time and you never know what to expect from Maxim Afinogenov. The new core players like Roy, Pominville and Tomas Vanek have been around long enough to deal with the rigors of an 82 game season. So it’s up to them to prove that they’re as good or better than the players who left town over the last couple of years.
The defense looks more questionable, as the young guys are inexperienced, the older guys are ordinary, and beyond Rivet there’s a serious lack of muscle. Goaltender Ryan Miller has to pull it all together. Miller’s stats took a drop last season, and a return to form will go along way towards pushing Buffalo back into the top eight.
This would be a better team if Brian Campbell, Drury and Briere were still in uniform, but sending them on their way was smarter than giving them the giant contracts they got elsewhere as free agents. Unfortunately, such smart management also reduces a team’s margin for error.
The phrase “young talent’ is inevitably followed by the word “inconsistency,” and that’s the challenge facing this team. But many of the young Sabres have long-term contracts now. It’s time they shook off the youth tag and proved themselves as long-term contributors. Otherwise, it looks like another struggle to make the playoffs.
What the Buffalo Sabres did in 2007-08
39 wins - 31 losses - 12 SO/OT losses - 90 points
10th in Eastern Conference
18th in NHL
