21014-15 record: 23-51-8 (54 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Brian Gionta
The Buffalo Sabres' season from Hell is over, and though they didn't get the ultimate prize in Connor McDavid, they did end up with an equally good player in Jack Eichel. To ensure that his transition to the NHL is as smooth as it can get, the Sabres made quite a bit of moves, from getting Robin Lehner to hopefully solidify the goaltending position to picking up Ryan O'Reilly to help mentor Eichel in addition to being the top center, the Sabres of the 2015-16 season will not be the sad sack group of the previous two seasons.
Yes, it all begins with Eichel, but the Sabres' rebuild began in earnest with the draft of Sam Reinhart the previous season. From there, they traded for both Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane with the expectation that both will benefit from the change in scenery, though it remains to be seen if Kane will be a benefactor, as he was out prior to the trade. If nothing else, the Sabres will be far better down the middle than in previous seasons and everyone will be looking for redemption, particularly Matt Moulson, who failed to even crack the 20-goal mark. Defensively, they lost a key figure in Nikita Zadorov, as he went the other way in the O'Reilly deal, but they do retain Rasmus Ristolainen, who posted the worst +/- on the team, which was a byproduct of both youth and overall badness of the team. Having Bogosian for the full year will help, and along with Josh Gorges, they will have to continue to be leaders for the likes of Ristolainen and either Jake McCabe or Mark Pysyk.
For the second straight year, the Sabres employed at least five goaltenders. The acquisition of Lehner, who himself hasn't established himself as a regular NHL goalie due to injuries, is a major gamble, but one that General Manager Tim Murray is willing to take, as he knows Lehner from his days in the Senators' front office. New head coach Dan Bylsma will have a chance to steer the Sabres in the right direction after a year away from the bench.
Prediction: 7th in the Atlantic Division
The Sabres were awful in every sense of the word last year. Their reward is Eichel, who will have a lot of expectations upon him, but a fair amount of support in shouldering them. Expecting the Sabres to make the playoffs this year is a stretch, but they won't be so terrible that they will be in the Auston Matthews sweepstakes, either.
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