EASN Season Preview: Buffalo Sabres
Expectations are high for Hodgson in 2013-14.
Last Season: 21-21-6 (48 Points)
Arrivals: D Drew Bagnall (Minnesota), D Jamie McBain (Carolina), D Rasmus Ristolainen (TPS), D Henrik Tallinder (New Jersey), F Jamie Tardiff (Boston), Assistant Coach Joe Sacco (Colorado)
Departures: LW Riley Boychuk (New Jersey), F Nathan Gerbe (Carolina), F Jochen Hecht (Mannheim), RW Mark Mancari (St. Louis), D Adam Pardy (Winnipeg), D Andrej Sekera (Carolina), Assistant Coaches Kevyn Adams and James Patrick.
Last Season
The term 'trainwreck' could perfectly describe the Sabres season. After winning their first two contests, the team went into a tailspin in the month of February, which led to the firing of long-time head coach Lindy Ruff. After making Ron Rolston their interm head coach for the remainder of the season, the team showed improvement, but finished outside the playoffs for the second straight season.
It was enough for general manager Darcy Regier to begin dealing some of his assets. Over a period of a few days, the team traded defensemen Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr, and finished off by dealing captain Jason Pominville to the Minnesota Wild. When the season ended, forward Jochen Hecht elected to retire from the NHL, Rolston would become the official head coach, and many questions began to linger heading into the off-season.
The Positives: Left Winger Thomas Vanek was a force throughout the entire season. He scored 20 goals for the eighth straight season, and also averaged over a point per game. Cody Hodgson showed offensive flair, finishing second in points with 34. Christian Ehrhoff played at an all-star level the entire season despite a sub-par blue line behind him, and newly acquired Steve Ott became a lightning rod for the club, and a fan favorite.
The Negatives: Besides Ehrhoff, the rest of the blueline were simply not up to par. Tyler Myers continues to regress from his Calder trophy season. Secondary scoring wasn't their for the club. The team mismanaged rookie Mikhail Grigorenko, Marcus Foligno fell back to earth, and injures piled up for the club. The center depth after Hodgson left a lot to be desired, and the team was in the bottom half in the league in goals allowed.
The Off-Season
Regier didn't continue his trade tirade from the deadline, instead making small moves to the roster. At the NHL Draft, the Sabres traded away steady defenseman Andrej Sekera to the Carolina Hurricanes for a second round pick and defenseman Jamie McBain. After free agency began, the Sabres brought back defenseman Henrik Tallinder from the New Jersey Devils for minor league forward Riley Boychuk.
The Sabres bought out diminutive forward Nathan Gerbe, who would go on to sign with the Hurricanes. Defenseman Adam Pardy was not brought back, and minor league forward Mark Mancari was let go as well.
The lone free agent signings were defenseman Drew Bagnall and forward Jamie Tardiff, whom are expected to play for the Sabres AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Each have two games of NHL experience, but aren't likely to crack the roster after camp breaks.
To help bolster Rolston's coaching staff, former Avalanche Head Coach Joe Sacco was brought in as an assistant. The team let go assistants Kevyn Adams and James Patrick. Teppo Numminen remains with the club as an assistant.
The Forwards
Many expect this to be the final season for Thomas Vanek in the Blue & Gold. The 29-year old forward is on the last year of a seven year contract, and with the focus of this season being a "rebuilding year", Vanek is likely to be dealt by the deadline. Still, he heads into camp as the Sabres best offensive weapon, but the questions of his inevitable departure will cast a cloud of negativity when camp opens.
Hodgson is the team's number one center, and showed promise in his first full year with the Sabres. Despite his offensive talents, his defensive game was considered one the worst in the NHL. While Hodgson will never be confused for a penalty kill specialist, it could spell trouble for Hodgson if he can't round out his game this season.
After Vanek and Hodgson is a series of question marks. Tyler Ennis has potential, but at wing or center? Ville Leino showed some flashes with six points in eight games last season, but his contract demands for more. Can Leino show his worth the change the Sabres are paying him? Many were surprised when the team didn't use a compliance buyout on Leino, but even an "average" season for Leino would rank high on the cast of offense the Sabres have.
Drew Stafford was disappointing last season, and many worry his 34 goal outburst in 2010-11 was because of playing in a "contract year". Rumors ran rampant about a potential trade involving Stafford during the off-season, but he'll stick for now. Ott is a fearless player, but is average offensively, and can make a series of boneheaded mistakes.
Mikhail Grigorenko was the top prize for the Sabres in the 2012 draft. The forward looked out of place in his first NHL season, but it can be argued that the team mismanaged him; giving him little power play time and playing him in the bottom six did not help his cause. We'll see more of the nineteen year old this season, as Regier has declared that the Russian will remain with the team all season.
Rounding out the forward crops is wingers Marcus Foligno (who has the highest Corsi on the team last season), Corey Tropp (coming off a major knee injury which limited him to six games in the AHL last season), Brian Flynn (26 games with the team last season), John Scott (enforcer), and noted pest Patrick Kaleta. The centers include Kevin Porter and Luke Adam.
The Defense
The Sabres appear to look like winners so far with the ten year contract given to defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, who looked like a bonafide Norris candidate last season. Ehrhoff is now the leader of the blueline after the departures of Sekera, Regehr, and Leopold, and will likely see upwards to 25+ minutes a night.
Myers, on the other hand, has been a source of frustration for the team. After his solid rookie season, Myers game has not improved, and may be argued has decreased over the last three seasons. While he shows moments of brilliance, they are forgotten with his frequent mistakes. The team has to reacquire his old defensive partner in hopes of moving his game north again.
Tallinder has spent the last three seasons with the Devils, which, like his tenure with the Sabres, has been filled with injures and steady play. The team is praying the 34-year old can hold up throughout the season, and be the mentor he was with Myers in his last season with the club back in 2009-10.
Rounding out the D is Mike Weber, who showed improvement and can be considered a top six NHL defenseman. Alexander Sulzer returns for another season, as he's played solid with Ehrhoff. Jamie McBain has been an frustrating talent, but will likely be placed in preferable situations on the ice. There will be a battle in camp for the last spots. Competing for those spots are Mark Pysyk, Rasmus Ristolainen, Chad Ruhwedel, and Brayden McNabb.
Goaltending
This should be the last season of 'Miller Time' in Buffalo. Miller, the 32-year old goaltender, was not moved during the off-season and will likely begin the year in the crease for the Sabres. His post-game comments suggest his frustrations with the clubs inability to ice a competitive club are high, and he'll hope to be traded or let go in the off-season. A Miller trade could prove to be a struggle, since he can list eight teams that he will not accept a trade to. Miller is still one of the games best netminders, and should continue to be solid whether in the Blue & Gold or not.
Jhonas Enroth should see an increase in starts this season. The 25-year old Swede played well last season, and was signed to a two-year extension in the off-season. Enroth will be assessed heavily on his starts due to any impending Miller move. He was brilliant in the World Championships for Team Sweden, and should receive an invite to play with the club in the 2014 Olympics.
The Coaching Staff
Give Regier credit; it's a time of suffering, but he brought along coaches who can help.
Ron Rolston has a long history of coaching at the amateur and collegiate level. He wasn't afraid to make decisions that his predecessor Ruff would; he scratched players, he gave younger players more of a look, and even played his backup goaltender more often. He's used to coaching younger players who are raw. He isn't going to give you the soundbites that a John Torterlla will, but he'll consistently help the team along.
Sacco, fired from the Avalanche, saw his best success with the club when the reached the Stanley Cup playoffs in his first season after finishing in the bottom five of the league. Sacco is expected to help along players like Foligno and Grigorenko maximize their potential, as well as any call-ups from the AHL during the season.
Conclusion
In a division already becoming tougher with the additions of the Red Wings, Lightning, and Panthers, the Sabres aren't expected to be playoff contenders this season. This will be a year to continue "cleaning out the trash" and guiding the younger players in hopes of developing a new core to the club. The team won't be a team blown out of the building, but they'll struggle to be a team relevant enough on offense. The hopes are dim, but at least the management acknowledges this.
Predicition: Sixth in the Atlantic Division.
)))))))))" was the tweet sent out by Yakupov after the trade announcement. The trade got the hockey world talking, wondering how the Sabres could pull off such a deal. Oilers General Manager Craig McTavish defended the move.
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