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Thread: A look at the Buffalo Sabres

  1. #1
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    I...am your father.

    Default A look at the Buffalo Sabres

    From my THN article today:
    http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/fa...season-report/


    BUFFALO SABRES

    Pending UFAs: Zenon Konopka, John Scott, Matt D’Agostini, Henrik Tallinder, Alexander Sulzer, Kevin Porter.

    Pending RFAs: Luke Adam, Matt Hackett, Chad Ruhwedel, Jamie McBain, Marcus Foligno, Cory Conacher, Tyler Ennis.


    Looking to add: Since “everything at every position, every role, top to bottom” isn’t a fair answer, I’ll try to be more specific.
    I still have faith in Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson and Mikhail Grigorenko becoming stars in this league. Eventually. Zemgus Girgensons, Tyler Myers and Rasmus Ristolainen will be great players in the roles that they are asked to fill, but that still leaves quite a few holes. A veteran scorer on the wing to replace Thomas Vanek (or two…or three) would be a start.
    It would also be nice to get a proven – and healthy – goaltender. I don’t think they go to free agency for the latter, even though there are plenty of goalies available on the market. I think the Sabres will look to Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth. As talented as Neuvirth is, he can’t seem to string together 10 games without getting hurt. As underrated as Enroth is, he still battles consistency issues and is probably not No. 1 goalie material.


    Ready for full-time: Grigorenko’s best bet is to play at least half a season in the American League and show he can produce at that level, especially with Ted Nolan as Buffalo’s coach. His ice time would be limited in Buffalo and the last thing he needs is a further drag on development.
    Ristolainen was up and down last season, but he’s probably ready to stay up for good. Don’t overrate his offensive potential; he’s a stud rearguard defensively and in his prime he’ll chip in 35 points or perhaps even 40, but he’s not going to go beyond that.
    Jake McCabe is the offensive defenseman of the future on this team and he had a cup of coffee with the club late in the season after turning pro. The best thing for him is a full season of AHL action and then making the jump in 2015-16.
    Nikita Zadorov is another promising defenseman with high-end skills at both ends of the rink. He initially made the team last year as an 18-year-old before being sent back to the London Knights of the Ontario League. He dominated at that level and it’s possible that the Sabres keep him up for good. There’s nothing more he can learn in the OHL. As noted above with Grigorenko, Nolan would probably limit Zadorov’s ice time (and thus his fantasy value) as a rookie.

    Fantasy Outlook: The Sabres are still very early in the rebuilding process. If Ennis and Hodgson were to have that much-anticipated breakout year, the domino effect throughout the lineup would be huge. At this point, fantasy owners aren’t exactly seeking to add more Sabres players to their roster. This is a team with a pretty good future, but not very much to offer in the next year or two. Fantasy Grade: D+ (last year was C-)
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  2. #2
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    Default Re: A look at the Buffalo Sabres

    Just read, nice article - especially when there isn't much talent to speak of on either club for the upcoming year.
    It will be interesting to see what either club is doing next year - as both should be as bad as possible... for their own good.

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