2017-18 record: 25-45-12 (62 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: TBA
Year one of the Jason Botterill/Phil Housley era began exactly the way the Tim Murray/Dan Bylsma era went, which is to say poorly. They couldn't score, they couldn't stop the other team from scoring, and they at times, fought against themselves off the ice. With a little more of the previous regime being shipped out plus a new savior on defence and a better goalie, the Sabres have nowhere to go but up, right?
For a team that has has first round picks in the top ten for each of the last five years, not counting this year's draft, the Sabres still haven't solved their goal problems, scoring or defending. Jack Eichel was supposed to be an offensive dynamo for a team that has needed one for years. Instead, he's only been above average. Worse, there were rumors of in-fighting with Eichel and now departed Ryan O'Reilly, as well as Evander Kane constantly being in the middle of another locker room scuffle. If Eichel is ever to become close to the level of fellow 2015 first round pick Connor McDavid, he needs to take charge of the offense on the ice and show some maturity off of it because the Sabres' chances depend on him. Meanwhile, O'Reilly and Kane are gone, and now, it is up to some of their previous picks such as Alexander Nylander and Sam Reinhart to step up. It would help if Casey Mittlestadt can crack the lineup on opening night and produce right away. Defensively, it wasn't much better, as it was basically Rasmus Ristolainen and a bunch of question marks. Winning the right to draft Rasmus Dahlin this year was a big win for the franchise, as he now becomes their top defender, if not right away, before the season ends. There are still depth issues here, but at least the Sabres won't have to put the likes of Nathan Beaulieu and Marco Scandella on the top pairing. In goal, it was bad, as Robin Lehner was unpredictable in his streakiness, and that was when he could be on the ice due to health, while Chad Johnson's encore in Buffalo was a complete disaster. Enter journeyman Carter Hutton as the starter while Linus Ullmark will have a chance at becoming the backup after shuttling between Buffalo and Rochester the last two seasons.
Prediction: 6th in the Atlantic Division
The Sabres still have depth problems, and in no way will Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund solve their offensive problems. However, they did improve their defense a little, and if Dahlin proves to be the real deal right away, it's a major step in the right direction, though the playoffs are still a ways off.
No comments:
Post a Comment