By Alex Hobson
2014-15 LEADING SCORERS
Tyler Ennis (20 G, 26 A, 46 A)
Matt Moulson (13 G, 28 A, 41 P)
Brian Gionta (13 G, 22 A, 35 P)
LAST SEASON
The 2014-15 Buffalo Sabres season went exactly as expected. In the middle of a rebuild, nobody expected them to be good, and they weren't. They decided to trade lots of players at the deadline for draft picks, and their first major move came approximately a month before the trade deadline when they sent Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Brendan Lemieux, Joel Armia, and a 1st round pick in 2015 to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, and Jason Kasdorf. That same day, they dealt Jhonas Enroth to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Anders Lindback and a conditional 3rd round pick in 2016. After this came several depth moves, including dealing players such as Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn to the Montreal Canadiens for draft picks, and trading Michal Neuvirth to the New York Islanders for Chad Johnson and a 3rd rounder in 2016. Their final move before the deadline came when they dealt Chris Stewart to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a second round pick in 2017.
After finishing dead last in the league with a poor record of 23-51-8, the Sabres had the highest chance at winning the draft lottery in the famous Connor McDavid sweepstakes, but many fans would come to be disappointed after losing the draft lottery to the Edmonton Oilers. However, this sadness would not last very long, as the Sabres possibly had the best consolation prize in hockey, by virtually earning the player who was presumed to go second overall in the draft in Jack Eichel, who had similar skill ability to McDavid. After this came a long wait through the NHL Playoffs until the offseason, when the Sabres could finally get to work on their future.
OFFSEASON
IN
Ryan O'Reilly
Jamie McGinn
David Legwand
Robin Lehner
Matt Donovan
Cal O'Reilly
Bobby Sanguinetti
Carlo Colaiacovo
Evan Rodrigues
OUT
Mikhail Grigorenko
Nikita Zadorov
J.T Compher
Matt Hackett
Zac Dalpe
Matt Ellis
Tyson Strachan
Andre Benoit
Andrej Meszaros
Anders Lindback
Patrick Kaleta
The first move of the Sabres offseason seemed like a very minor one and went somewhat unnoticed. Shortly after the draft lottery, the Sabres signed undrafted forward Evan Rodrigues to a contract. The significance of this signing? Rodrigues was Jack Eichel's linemate at Boston University, so it seemed like GM Tim Murray was already preparing for a long future with Eichel. About two months later, it was draft day, and the Sabres were already working the phones to initiate huge trade for the organization. The Sabres traded youth players Nikita Zadorov and Mikhail Grigorenko, along with prospect J.T Compher to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn in an effort to boulster their offense for the upcoming season. Shortly before that, they dealt their second first rounder to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Robin Lehner and David Legwand, in an effort to secure a potential starting goalie. Then once the draft hit, Murray took to the stage and announced the selection of Jack Eichel, to no one's surprise, and this would mark the end of major moves for the Sabres. On free agency day, they let go of several players including Andre Benoit and Anders Lindback, and added lots of depth, such as players like Matt Donovan and Bobby Sanguinetti. The Sabres offseason was looking complete, and with Jack Eichel now signed to his entry level deal, things were looking up for the Sabres.
NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE
The Sabres' offense is looking a lot better than it did the previous season. With the additions of Ryan O'Reilly and new draft pick Jack Eichel, they could look to light the lamp a little bit more than they usually do. Look for the offense to be led by Tyler Ennis, Matt Moulson, and Evander Kane, with secondary scoring from O'Reilly and Zemgus Girgensons. Also watch for Jack Eichel to make an impact in his first NHL season.
NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE
If you're looking for a word to describe the Sabres defensive core, an appropriate word would be young. They will likely be lead by Rasmus Ristolainen and Zach Bogosian, both under the age of 26, with veteran help coming from Josh Gorges and Carlo Colaiacovo. Look for rookie Jake McCabe to make a serious push for the lineup this year.
NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING
The Sabres have had lots of different goaltending options over the past two years, considering in 2013-14 they dressed a whopping total of nine goalies over the season, but it looks like this year they finally found their starter. Robin Lehner will look to claim himself a secure starting job over the 2015-16 season, with Chad Johnson backing him up.
POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP
Evander Kane - Ryan O'Reilly - Tyler Ennis
Matt Moulson - Jack Eichel - Brian Gionta
Marcus Foligno - Zemgus Girgensons - Jamie McGinn
Nic Deslauriers - David Legwand - Cody McCormick
Zach Bogosian - Rasmus Ristolainen
Mark Pysyk - Josh Gorges
Mike Weber - Jake McCabe
Robin Lehner
Chad Johnson
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