The past two seasons were the worst in Sabres history, so it'd be easy to say things can't get worse, but the arrival of the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Boston University center Jack Eichel, has changed the attitude here. Eichel's arrival, coupled with the eventual debut of forward Evander Kane, who didn't play for the Sabres after he was acquired in a trade from the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 11 (shoulder surgery); center Ryan O'Reilly, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche on June 26; and coach Dan Bylsma, has the Buffalo fan base hopeful the organizational rebuild will bring results on the ice. The Sabres will have a young and talented group of forwards to try to lift an offense that scored an NHL-low 158 goals last season. The addition of Eichel, Kane and O'Reilly to Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons gives Buffalo a youthful core. If Sam Reinhart, the No. 2 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, makes the roster, it would make the Sabres that much younger and add another potential scorer.
Youth may dominate on defense and in goal too. The Sabres added 24-year-old goalie Robin Lehner in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on June 26. Lehner is expected to be the No. 1 goalie, backed up by Chad Johnson. Lehner showed potential in parts of five seasons with the Senators but was unable to unseat Craig Anderson as the starter and was overtaken by Andrew Hammond on the depth chart last season. Lehner will need to provide stability and quality starts after the Sabres allowed 269 goals last season, 29th in the League. Like Kane, Lehner arrives in Buffalo coming off an injury and with a lot to prove.
He did not play after Feb. 16 because of a concussion.
More will be asked of the younger defensemen. Rasmus Ristolainen, 20, and Zach Bogosian, 24, will play in top-four roles again. It's expected that 2010 first-round pick Mark Pysyk will be an everyday contributor, and 21-year-old Jake McCabe will have a chance to break into the lineup after he impressed Sabres coaches during the scrimmage.
Josh Gorges will return from microfracture surgery on his knee. The Sabres added veteran Carlo Colaiacovo to a defense that includes Mike Weber, and signed free agents Matt Donovan, who played for the New York Islanders last season, and Bobby Sanguinetti, who played for the Vancouver Canucks, to compete for spots. There is pressure on the younger players to step up on defense, but opportunities to earn more ice time are there. That doesn't mean the Sabres have stopped searching for help.
Robin Lehner spent his first five full seasons as a professional either in the American Hockey League, injured or backing up Craig Anderson with the Ottawa Senators. Now he's expected to take the Sabres' starting job. Buffalo general manager Tim Murray knows Lehner well from his time in the Senators front office; he scouted the 24-year-old Swede before he was drafted by Ottawa in the second round (No. 46) at the 2009 NHL Draft. Lehner is 30-36-13 with a 2.88 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 86 NHL games (76 starts); a concussion limited him to 25 games last season. Lehner won't have to compete against a superior veteran for starts (Chad Johnson is expected to be the backup), but he will have to show consistency and stay healthy. If he can do those things, the Sabres may have found their goalie of the future.
If the Sabres have an obvious weakness, it's their defense. Josh Gorges, Zach Bogosian and Rasmus Ristolainen will return as part of the top four defensemen, but after that, positions are up for grabs. The Sabres have young options Mark Pysyk, Jake McCabe and Chad Ruhwedel to go along with incumbent veteran Mike Weber. Buffalo also signed Carlo Colaiacovo, Matt Donovan and Bobby Sanguinetti as free agents in July to help add to the competition in training camp. Pysyk may be the favorite from that group to make the Sabres, based on his play last season, but they'll need a few players to seize the opportunity to make a difference.
Matt Moulson had the worst season of his NHL career with 13 goals and 41 points in 2014-15. He could be due for a rebound after a career-low shooting percentage (8.3). Evander Kane played in 37 games for the Winnipeg Jets and had NHL career lows of 10 goals and 22 points before season-ending shoulder surgery. He was traded to Buffalo on Feb. 11 and is looking forward to a fresh start.
The past two seasons, the worst in Sabres history, marked an especially low point. But Buffalo selected Jack Eichel with the No. 2 pick at the 2015 NHL Draft and acquired center Ryan O'Reilly from the Colorado Avalanche and goalie Robin Lehner from the Ottawa Senators during the offseason. The Sabres hope the days of rebuilding are over and they can focus of returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Buffalo scored 153 non-shootout goals last season but will add Eichel, O'Reilly, and Evander Kane to the lineup. Eichel had 71 points in 40 games at Boston University last season and won the Hobey Baker Award. Kane scored 30 goals in 2011-12 and is looking for a fresh start with the Sabres after his time with the Winnipeg Jets. O'Reilly is coming off a season with the Colorado Avalanche when he scored 17 goals and 55 points. In 2013-14, O'Reilly scored 28 goals and 64 points. Adding them to a lineup that includes Tyler Ennis, Matt Moulson, and Brian Gionta should give the Sabres a more robust offense.
After the Sabres fired coach Ted Nolan in April, the search led them first to Mike Babcock, who joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, then landed on former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. During Bylsma's time in Pittsburgh, the Penguins made the playoffs every season. In five-and a half seasons, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2009 and two division titles. Twice he coached the Penguins to a 51-win season, and he guided Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin through the early part of their careers. With that sort of experience, Bylsma seems like the perfect fit for a team with a lot of young talent and two potential star centers (Eichel and Sam Reinhart). Sabres general manager Tim Murray wanted to get a coach with a winning pedigree and found one.
Much of the talk around the Sabres the past few seasons has been about their prospects in junior hockey and the American Hockey League. Now it's time for those players to show what they can do in the NHL. The Sabres will be one of the youngest teams in the League, and though that means some growing pains, putting Eichel (18), Reinhart (19) and Zemgus Girgensons (20) up front, with defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen (20), Mark Pysyk (23), and Jake McCabe (21), will show that waiting for players to mature is the hardest part of a rebuild.
After back-to-back last-place seasons when the Sabres earned 52 and 54 points, Murray has improved the roster enough that, barring catastrophic bad luck, Buffalo won't be that bad again. There are questions surrounding the defense, but the addition of Lehner should help settle a position that saw a lot of change the past two seasons. The Sabres had five goalies play last season and three, including former goalie coach Arturs Irbe, dressed as backups. The additions on offense and finding a potential No. 1 goalie should help turn around their NHL-worst minus-113 goal differential of last season. More goals for and fewer against should produce additional wins.
The past two seasons were the worst in Sabres history. A byproduct has been the ability to stockpile young talent, including forward Zemgus Girgensons, who was voted to the NHL All-Star Game last season, and Rasmus Ristolainen, who became one of Buffalo's top four defensemen. Three prospects might be in the opening night lineup Oct. 8 against the Ottawa Senators, and two others are set to play their first season of pro hockey coming out of the Ontario Hockey League.
Jack Eichel, C
How acquired: 1st round (No. 2), 2015 NHL Draft
Last season: Boston University, H-East: 40 GP, 26-45-71
During his freshman season at Boston University, Eichel (6-foot-2, 196 pounds) helped the Terriers reach the national championship game and won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey. He signed his professional contract with the Sabres on July 1. Eichel, 18, is expected to step into the Sabres lineup right away and join Ryan O'Reilly as one of their two scoring centers. Eichel excelled last season, but the jump from college to the NHL will be his biggest test. After he performed well for the United States at the 2015 IIHF World Championship, he should be ready for the challenge.
Sam Reinhart, C
How acquired: 1st round (No. 2), 2014 NHL Draft
Last season: Sabres: 9 GP, 0-1-1; Kootenay, WHL: 47 GP, 19-46-65; Rochester, AHL: 3 GP, 0-3-3
Reinhart, 19, got a taste of NHL life last season when he played nine games for the Sabres before he was sent back to Kootenay of the Western Hockey League. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound center helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship before he finished the season with Rochester in the American Hockey League. The Sabres are hoping that experience will allow him to start the season in the NHL. There will be quite a bit of competition at center; Buffalo has O'Reilly, Eichel, Girgensons, Johan Larsson, David Legwand and Cody McCormick at that position. If Reinhart is going to make the Sabres, it might be on the wing. He is eligible to go to the AHL instead of junior hockey.
Jake McCabe, D
How acquired: 2nd round (No. 44), 2012 NHL Draft
Last season: Sabres: 2 GP, 0-0-0; Rochester, AHL: 57 GP, 5-24-29
If there was a player who helped make a good first impression at development camp in July, it was McCabe. The 6-foot, 195-pound defenseman spent most of last season with Rochester, where he had 29 points in 57 games. Even though he missed time because of a concussion, he drew the attention of Sabres coach Dan Bylsma during the camp scrimmage. If McCabe, who turns 22 on Oct. 12, can that against NHL competition in training camp, he could play more in Buffalo than Rochester this season.
Nicholas Baptiste, RW
How acquired: 3rd round (No. 69), 2013 NHL Draft
Last season: Sudbury, OHL: 12 GP: 6-5-11; Erie, OHL: 41 GP, 26-27-53
Baptiste's junior career got the attention of the Sabres coaching staff. Two seasons ago, the 6-foot, 196-pound forward had 45 goals and 89 points for the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL. Last season, he had 32 goals and 64 points with the Wolves and Erie Otters. Baptiste turned 20 on Aug. 4 and will play his first professional season in 2015-16. Making the adjustment means facing more experienced players, and how Baptiste adapts will be watched closely.
Justin Bailey, RW
How acquired: 2nd round (No. 52), 2013 NHL Draft
Last season: Kitchener, OHL: 35 GP, 22-19-41; Sault Ste. Marie, OHL: 22 GP, 12-16-28
At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Bailey has the size to be a power forward. During the scrimmage, the Buffalo native used his size and speed to make the coaches notice him, and at 20 years old, he's learning how to best put it all together.
Bailey turns pro this season coming off his best junior season with Kitchener and Sault Ste. Marie, when he had 34 goals and 69 points. He improved each season in junior, and the Sabres hope that trend continues.
Predicted Lines
9 Kane - # O'Reilly - 63 Ennis
26 Moulson - # Eichel - 28 Girgensons
22 Larsson - 23 Reinhart - 12 Gionta
82 Foligno - # Legwand - # McGinn
4 Gorges - 55 Ristolainen
6 Weber - 47 Bogosian
29 McCabe - 3 Pysyk
# Lehner - 33 Johnson
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