
Hard Knocks: Buffalo Sabres 2015-16 Season
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Derek Proudly
As members of the press filter in to the Buffalo Sabres locker room at the beginning of training camp, an upbeat vibe encloses the room. The ghosts of tanking past, the crowd booing a victory, seem to have vanished. The players are at ease, possibly because of the massive overhaul General Manager Tim Murray undertook as the off-season begun.
Ted Nolan is gone. Cody Hodgson was bought out. Mikhail Grigorenko was traded. The storyline seemed to paint the Sabres as the brides left at the altar; they failed to sign coveted head coach Mike Babcock nor did they win the draft lottery despite positioning themselves to be the favorites. Yet, it appears the club got the best consolation prizes. Dan Byslma, the former Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach who guided them to a Stanley Cup Championship in 2009 is here. Instead of Connor McDavid, the Sabres got Jack Eichel instead. If Don Cherry was American, he'd be hard-pressed to bet against the Sabres moving forward.
The team made splashes at the draft, acquiring lethal two-way forward Ryan O'Reilly from the Colorado Avalanche, as well as goaltender Robin Lehner from the Ottawa Senators. On the eve of camp, the team shored up their defense by signing defenseman Cody Franson to a two-year deal to help quarterback the power play. And lest we forget about left winger Evander Kane; the power forward is set to make his Buffalo Sabres debut after being acquired by the club in February in a blockbuster from the Winnipeg Jets.
The Sabres are a club moving forward. Both Murray and Byslma are putting the past behind the organization. The last two seasons will be considered the dark ages; a time in their history where it was necessary to rebuild the club from scratch and get the pieces ready to make a run towards the Stanley Cup. They may not make the playoffs, but the club is ready to become one of the elite organizations in hockey within the next couple of season. That isn't going to be a small feat, considering they share a division with the Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning, the consistent Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Ottawa Senators.
Here is the Buffalo Sabres Training Camp Roster, presented by Toyota:


Here is the Buffalo Sabres 2015-16 Pre-Season Schedule:
September 20th, 2015: @ Boston Bruins
September 22nd, 2015: vs. Florida Panthers
September 24th, 2015: @ Ottawa Senators
September 26th, 2015: vs. Montreal Canadiens
September 28th, 2015: vs. Detroit Red Wings
September 30th, 2015: @ Tampa Bay Lightning
October 2nd, 2015: vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Pre-Season Games will be posted in a blog-like format at the completion of camp. But as a sneak peak, here are the lines the Sabres will use in their opening game against the Boston Bruins:
(L) Evan Rodrigues - (C) Jack Eichel - (R) Nicolas Deslauriers
(L) William Carrier - (C) Sam Reinhart - (R) Justin Bailey
(L) Jerry D'Amigo - (C) Tim Schaller - (R) Daniel Catenacci
(L) Jean Dupuy - (C) Justin Kea - (R) Cody McCormick
(LD) Carlo Colaiacovo - (RD) Mark Pysyk
(LD) Jake McCabe - (RD) Bobby Sanguinetti
(LD) Brendan Guhle - (RD) Jerome Leduc
(G) Jonas Johansson
(G) Andrey Makarov
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