Buffalo Sabres Season Preview

When it came to presenting themselves as appalling on the ice last season, the Buffalo Sabres were a bunch of geniuses. Buffalo finished an astounding 30 games under .500 in 2013-14 and ended the season with just 52 points. It was, by far the worst in the league and the fewest full-season points Buffalo ended a season with since 1971-72.

So what will they do for an encore?

Last year’s ghastly crusade did bring light at the end of the tunnel.  Ron Rolston run as head coach and Darcy Regier’s 16-year reign as general manager came to a screeching halt the moment Pat LaFontaine was named team president on November 13. Of course, LaFontaine’s tenure didn’t last long either.

He tabbed Ted Nolan to return as head coach, and not long after Tim Murray was hired as general manager early January, LaFontaine himself was soon gone following a contentious “resignation” on March 1.

The Sabres also said goodbye to a trio of mainstays on the ice --- Thomas Vanek, Steve Ott and Ryan Miller.

Yet for all the melancholy that engulfed most of last season, it did have its perks, at least for everyone besides Nolan and the 23 players on the ice each night.

Losing became a “thing” with the Sabres, especially amongst the fans when it became apparent they were major frontrunners to plummet deep in the NHL’s cellar. In that regard the Sabres refused to be thwarted, finishing with the league’s worst record and guaranteed no worse than picking second in the draft. They did, and ended up drafting highly regarded Sam Reinhart.

For many the song is the same in 2014-15, and this time the stakes are even higher.  Connor McDavid is the most touted draft prospect the league has seen since Sidney Crosby while Jack Eichel is an elite blue chipper himself.  Finishing in the basement again makes it a lock for the Sabres to land one of the two, and probably launch themselves as a perennial Stanley Cup contender in a few years.

So do the Buffalo Sabres once again have what it takes to once again be spectacular at being spectacularly bad? The odds say yes, although the plunge to being the league’s worst almost certainly won’t be the Sunday afternoon stroll it was last season.

In an act of defiance against all those wishing them to be to be the worst, the Sabres went out and acquired a couple of veteran leaders during the offseason that still happen to be pretty good hockey players. Combine that with some good young talent and the Sabres are a legitimate threat to finish not at the bottom of the standings.

How dare they…

Jokes aside, the Sabres are much better served this year to be as horrific as possible without intentionally tanking.  He’ll never say so publicly, but don’t think that approach is lost on Murray. Players aren’t going to quit trying, Nolan’s not going to stop coaching, so ultimately it’s on Murray to make roster decisions that will negatively affect this year’s standings—or positively if you’re eager to drown in a sea of defeats.

Bottom line—it’s better for everyone long-term if the Sabres finished dead last, as opposed to mustering up the courage to wind up 10^th place in the Eastern Conference.  When you merge the potential of landing of McDavid or Eichel with the young blossoming talent already in place but still a ways from being quality NHL ready, this as good a time to embrace a season of on-ice failure as there’s ever been.

Let’s take a closer look at this year’s team, which makes its season debut tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the First Niagara Center.

WHO’S NEW

Tim Murray measured it as critical to add quality veteran leadership to the locker room help aide his young prospects, and did so by adding a pair of former Montreal Canadians to the mix—signing Matt Gionta as a free agent and trading for defensemen Josh Gorges.  As convincing indication of their worth, the Sabres named Gionta captain and Gorges an alternate captain for the season.

Matt Moulson is new---sort of.  Acquired by Buffalo from the Islanders along with a 2015 (potentially very high) draft pick for Thomas Vanek last October, Moulson was later traded to Minnesota at least season’s trade deadline.  Moulson continually said he loved his time in Buffalo, and then backed it up by signing a five-year/$25 million free agent deal with the club to return on July 1.

Three veteran defensemen that came to Buffalo in the offseason will begin this campaign on the roster; Andre Benoit (30), Andrej Meszaros (28) and Tyson Strachan (29).  Benoit scored seven goals and had 21 assists in 79 games with Colorado last season.  Meszaros spent time with both Philadelphia and Boston last year while Strachan skated in 18 games with Washington whilst splitting time between the parent club and AHL’s Hersey. They’re probable provisionary pieces to the puzzle while talented youngsters like Nikita Zadarov, Jake McCabe and Mark Psysk continue to develop.

Of course, the newcomer everyone’s wound up about is the second overall pick of this summer’s NHL entry draft, Sam Reinhart.  Just 18 years old, Reinhart will begin the season with Buffalo and is expected to be in the opening night lineup. His tenure this season, however, will probably be short-lived as his entry level contract kicks in once he plays in 10 games, making odds strong he’ll spend the bulk of his 2014-15 campaign in juniors. Perceptibly that could change if he shows the magnetism on the ice that made him so touted right off the bat.

WHO’S GONE

Defensemen Christian Ehrhoff had his contract bought out this summer and subsequently joined the Pittsburgh Penguins.  While the Sabres are piled with good young prospects on the blue line they’ll miss Ehrhoff’s point production in the interim.  Ehrhoff led all Sabres defensemen with 33 points last season and racked up 87 points in 192 games over three seasons with the club.

To the dismay of utterly no one, the team also bought out Ville Leino, who’ll go down as one of if not the worst free agent acquisition in franchise history.  Leino went 58 games without scoring a goal last year and netted just 10 in 137 contests as a Sabre.

The team also said goodbye to Jamie McBain, Matt D’Agostini, Henrik Tallinder, Cory Conacher, Alexander Sulzer and John Scott since last season’s merciful conclusion.

THREE REASONS THE SABRES ARE IMPROVED

1. Ted Nolan is renowned for taking an underwhelming team and extracting every degree of competitiveness from them. Last year Nolan didn’t become the Sabres head coach until November 13 but his time around he’s had a full offseason, training camp and preseason to appraise everyone on the roster much deeper.  The difference is a team he specifically pieced together as opposed to walking into a bad situation last season. I’d expect a much higher “compete” level out of the Sabres on a more consistent basis.  The consequence, depending on your outlook for the season is more points in the standings.

2. In his first offseason as Sabres general manager, Tim Murray commenced putting his stamp on the roster.  He cut a lot of fat from the young nucleus by dumping Leino and Ehrhoff along with spirited -but-unproductive players like D’Agostini, Tallinder and Sulzer.  Buying out Ehrhoff will hurt on the scoring side of the ledger but word is he didn’t want to be here and his effort on the ice often proved as such.  By bringing in Gionta and Gorges the Sabres should have a much improved mind-set and work ethic both on the ice and in the locker room.  Also, don’t think for a second that Murray will allow anyone to get too comfortable. He won’t hesitate to make moves throughout the season. No one other than Zegmus Girgensons and Sam Reinhart are completely safe on this current roster.

3.  Some of the young guys being given an opportunity will be better than last year.  Simply put, if Girgensons continues to improve on last year he’ll become a legitimate force in this league.  Don’t forget about 2012 first-round draft pick Mikhail Grigorenko either. He’s beginning the season in Rochester but his strong training camp in Buffalo didn’t go unnoticed by Nolan, and he’ll back with the club before too long.  Buffalo has an extremely talented crop of young defensemen in Risto Ristolainen, Mark Psysk, Nikita Zadarov and Jake McCabe.  Playing time may not consistently come for all early; if at all but their physical ability will earn them extensive looks on the ice before this season is said and done. It may or may not show in the standings but this team should progress tremendously over the course of the season with some these kids possibly leading the way.

THREE REASONS THEY AREN’T

1. Unless the Sabres miraculously find themselves in a playoff hunt around the trade deadline, it’s a near certainty they’ll be saying goodbye to a pair of productive forwards in Drew Stafford and Chris Stewart.  Both guys are in the final years of their respective contracts and if they stay healthy should manufacture value in the trade market.  Depending on the fate of the team over the first half of the season and the progression of the young blue liners, it wouldn’t be astonishing to see Tyler Myers dealt either.

2. The goaltending is far less proven than when Ryan Miller was here. Sure, Jhonas Enroth has looked the parts at times, even for long stretches and his stats look very similar to Miller. However, he’s never entered a season as the No. 1 goaltender and until he proves he can handle it regularly, there’s rightfully going to be skeptics.  Enroth has never played in more than 28 games over a full NHL  season. Can he consistently handle the rigors, both physically and mentally that come with being the top guy?   If the answer is no, Michael Neuvirth will get a shot.  The 26-year old was outstanding for Washington in 2010-11 but has served primarily as a backup the past two seasons. While dealing Miller last season was required, those familiar with how many games he stole between the pipes through the years know the position likely takes a step back without him.

3. They’re simply not talented enough—right now.  Sure, maybe in a few years a roster loaded with young talent, not to mention Grigorenko, Brendan Lemieux and a few prospects on their way could be as formidable as any in the NHL, but that’s not happening this year.  Buffalo is thin with proven production at forward and that most likely takes a further hit when Stewart and/or Stafford are dealt. Benoit, Meszaros and Strachan are merely journeyman defensemen, but until the kids prove they can play at the NHL level, they along with Mike Weber will hog considerable ice time.  You can argue the Sabres have more talent than last year, but it’s hard to see them scale up the standings based on the opening night personnel.

PROJECTED OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

Forward Lines

Matt Moulson-Tyler Ennis- Drew Stafford

Marcus Foligno- Zegmus Girgensons- Chris Stewart

Cody Hodgson- Sam Reinhart- Brian Gionta

Brian Flynn- Cody McCormick- Nicolas Deslauriers

Defensive Lines

Josh Gorges- Tyler Myers

Mike Weber- Risto Ristolainen

Andre Benoit- Andrej Meszaros

Goaltenders

Jhonas Enroth/Michael Neuvirth

Extra Skaters

Nikita Zadarov/Tyson Strachan/Torrey Mitchell

Injured Reserve

Patrick Kaleta/Johan Larsson/Jake McCabe/Mark Psysk/Matt Hackett

SABRES STATS & FACTS

*It’s extremely likely rookie Sam Reinhart’s stay at the beginning of the season is short lived, as his entry level NHL contract will kick in after he plays in more than nine games.  It’s worth noting that only one Buffalo Sabre forward has ever been named to the NHL All-Rookie team--- Ray Sheppard back in 1987-88.

* Sticking with the rookie theme, three Buffalo Sabres have won the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.  Gilbert Perrault won in 1971 while Tom Barrasso took home honors in 1984.  Current Sabres defensemen Tyler Myers won it in 2010.

* Sabres head coach Ted Nolan enters the season with a 90-108-28 (.460) record as Buffalo head coach during the regular season, and 5-7 (.417) in the playoffs. He needs just seven victories behind the bench this season to join Floyd Smith (143), John Muckler (125), Scotty Bowman (210) and Lindy Ruff (571) as the only Sabres coaches with more than 100 victories.

* The Sabres come into 2014-15 heavily favored to miss the postseason for a fourth straight year. That’s never happened before. Their current run of three consecutive playoff-less seasons has been matched just once (2001-04).

* In his first year with the organization, Sabres assistant coach Brian Trottier is one of the game’s all-time great players.  Trottier built a Hall-of-Fame career over 18 seasons, mostly with the New York Islanders and won the Hart Trophy in 1979, given to the league’s most valuable player.  As a player he won four consecutive Stanley Cups with the Islanders and his No. 19 was retired by the team in 2001. He was a head coach with the New York Rangers one season and has been an assistant with Pittsburgh and Colorado. In total he’s been on seven cup-winning teams, including six as a player.

* Knowledgeable hockey fans will recognize the name Arturs Irbe, now serving as the team’s goaltender coach.  Irbe played 568 games in net for four NHL teams and was most known in Carolina, where he helped lead the Hurricanes to the 2002 Stanley Cup final.  Irbe worked with Nolan as an assistant coach for Latvia in the 2013 IHF World Championships in Finland.

* Robert Simonick, known to all as “Rip” is entering his 44^th season with the team to make him the longest tenured equipment manager in the NHL.

* The Sabres last playoff victory was a 4-3 overtime win at Philadelphia on April 22, 2011 on a game winner by Tyler Ennis.  Buffalo hasn’t won a playoff series since defeating the New York Rangers, four games to two in 2007.

* Buffalo’s 52 points last season were a NHL-worst by 13 points over Florida.  They were victorious in just one of their final 12 contests.

* Sabres forward Tyler Ennis steps his game up in the third period.  12 of his 21 goals last season were scored in the final 20 minutes of regulation time.  Conversely Drew Stafford led the team with eight goals in the first period.

* Here’s to hoping Marcus Foligno finds the back of the net more often in 2014-15. Despite scoring just seven goals last year Foligno showed his tallies were valuable, as three of the seven proved to be game-winners.

* Sabres assistant captain Matt Moulson scored 11 goals during his time in Buffalo last year, and nine of those came at home.

* Buffalo really struggled to score on the road last season, netting just 64 in 41 games, which is a big reason they went just 8-30-3 on opposition ice. Of those to score at least three goals on the season, Ennis is only player still on the roster to score more on enemy ice (12) than at home (9).

* If you want to be assured of a win, check to see if talented young center Zegmus Girgensons hits the score sheet more than once.  Buffalo went 4-0 last year when Girgensons recorded a multi-point night.

* On the opposite end, you can almost bank on the Sabres losing when they don’t score a power play goal.  Buffalo won just 7-of-42 times when failing to find the back of the net with the man advantage.

* Girgensons is the lone returning member from last year’s team to register more than one shorthanded point on the season. He had a goal and assist while the Sabres were at least a man down.

* It remains to be seen who if anyone will represent the Sabres at this year’s all-star game, but did you know the Sabres all-time leader in all star game points is Rick Martin? The Hall of Famer picked up four goals and three assists in seven career games.  Second on the list is Danny Briere with five points, and he did that all in one game.

* The Sabres failed to have a player record a hat trick last season. Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf was the one opponent to have one against them.

* Buffalo didn’t have a winning record playing any day of the week in 2013-14. Their best night of hockey came on Fridays, when they went 4-4-1.