NOTABLE ADDITIONS
Tyler Bouck, RW (Signed as a free agent, previously played with the Portland Pirates, AHL)
Mathieu Darche, LW (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Tampa Bay Lightning)
Patrick Lalime, G (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Chicago Blackhawks)
Craig Rivet, D (Trade with the San Jose Sharks)
NOTABLE LOSSES
Steve Bernier, RW (Traded to the Vancouver Canucks)
Dmitri Kalinin, D (Signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers)
Jocelyn Thibault, G (Unsigned Free Agent)
2007-08 Season Finish: 4th Northeast Division, 10th Eastern Conference, 90 Pts.
2007-08 Playoffs: Did Not Make Playoffs
2008-09 Prediction: 3rd Northeast Division, 10th Eastern Conference
The Buffalo Sabres were not major players in free agency this past summer, preferring to build the team with prospects. Still suffering from the losses of Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to free agency during the summer of 2007, the Sabres are currently rebuilding their offense through their prospects and the team's future on offense looks bright. Derek Roy and Jason Pominville both turned out career seasons last year and will likely play just as good, if not better, in 2008-09. Left Wing Thomas Vanek, who's production slipped a bit last season, will look to improve on his 84 point season two years ago. Young forwards Daniel Paille, Drew Stafford, and Patrick Kaleta will look to compliment Vanek, Roy, and Pominville on the top forward lines. Jochen Hecht, Paul Gaustad, Ales Kotalik, Tim Connolly, and Maxim Afinogenov all provide the Sabres with depth at forward. Adam Mair and Andrew Peters provide plenty of toughness and gritty play to the Sabres' checking line. While newcomers Tyler Bouck and Mathieu Darche will likely play most of the season in the minors, prospect forwards Tim Kennedy, Nathan Gerbe, Dylan Hunter, and Marek Zagrapan will all look to make the team at training camp on the 4th line. While the Sabres have plenty of good, young, offensive talent, a couple of veteran forwards could provide the team with experience and depth on their offense.
The Sabres lost a little experience on their blueline when Dmitri Kalinin signed with the New York Rangers earlier in the summer, the addition of Craig Rivet and the return of Tempo Numminen give the Sabres more depth on defense. Rivet brings plenty of experience and lots of needed toughness to the Sabres blueline. Numminen, who missed all but one game last season due to a heart condition, brings a wealth of experience and leadership to Buffalo's defense. Toni Lydman, Henrik Tallinder, and Jaroslav Spacek also bring lots of depth to the Sabres, while Andrej Sekera and Nathan Paetsch look to be mainstays on the team's defense for years to come. However, prospect defensemen Mike Weber and Marc-Andre Gragnani will likely compete for a spot on the team at training camp. While the Sabres seem to have enough defensive depth, the addition of an offensive defenseman couldn't hurt.
The Sabres looked to keep Ryan Miller in the fold beyond the 2008-09 season by locking up the netminder with a five year contract extension over the summer. Miller has emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the game today and will play a major role in the success of the Sabres in the future. To further solidify their goaltending, the Sabres signed Patrick Lalime to a two year contract over the summer. Lalime played decent in the backup role to Nikolai Khabibulin last season in Chicago, especially when the latter struggled.
STRENGTHS
- Plenty of young talent on offense.
- Strong goaltending.
- Plenty of veteran experience on defense.
WEAKNESSES
- Could stand to add a couple of veteran forwards for depth.
- Could use more offense on their defense.
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