Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--The Reserves

It was a big weekend for cuts as the Buffalo Sabres sent forward Cliff Pu back to his junior club and 14 players to the Rochester Americans. Pu had an excellent training camp and Prospects Challenge tournament while also impressing the Sabres brass to the point where he stuck with the team for Friday's game in Toronto. Although he missed his London Knights opener, he would come back the next night to record two primary assists, including one in overtime, as the Knights won 3-2.

With the Rochester Americans set to open camp today, 14 players were sent east on I-90:

Forwards: Kevin Porter (subject to waivers), Stevie Moses, Eric Cornel, Vaclav Karabacek, Kyle Criscuolo, Hudson Fasching, C.J. Smith

Defensemen Casey Nelson, Brycen Martin, Devante Stephens, Brendan Guhle

Goaltenders Adam Wilcox, Jonas Johansson, Jason Kasdorf

The Amerks open up their preseason schedule with a back-to-back with the Toronto Marlies this Friday and Saturday.

The Sabres have two more preseason games before they begin the regular season on Thursday, October 5 when the Montreal Canadiens visit KeyBank Center. This weekend wasn't kind to the club as they suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs. With the team still adapting to coach Phil Housley's system and Housley himself still adjusting to being an NHL head coach, the Leafs came away with 3-0 and 3-1 victories against Buffalo with three of Toronto's goals coming in the form of empty-netters.

Amongst the positives for Buffalo was the goaltending of Linus Ullmark who stopped 32 of 33 shots in the first game and Robin Lehner who stopped 30 of 32 in the second game. Buffalo's penalty kill also did some yeoman's work as they went 11/13 (84%) while being shorthanded.

Bubble roster players only have two more games to make an impression with the final preseason game normally used as a tune-up for the opening night roster. With a new system being put in place for both clubs, and GM Jason Botterill's commitment to not only proper seasoning for his young players, but also making Rochester more competitive, it's not surprising to see players like Guhle and Hudson Fasching get sent down. And it also may be an indication of who amongst the remaining 12 skaters will stick with Buffalo in a reserve role when the season opens.


Nicolas Deslauriers
26 yrs. old
6'1" 215 lbs.
2009 third-round (84th-overall, LAK)
Acquired from the LA Kings in a trade on March 5, 2104

Career stats:  211 games  |  12 goals  |  18 assists  |  30 points  |  -54

When former Sabres GM Tim Murray took the reigns of the club in January, 2014, it would seem as if he wanted to build a club in the mold of the LA Kings. The two-time Cup-winning Kings played a physical, heavy Western Conference style of play and Murray went right to the source to snag two "heavies" in Nicolas Deslauriers and Hudson Fasching in a trade with Los Angeles.

Deslauriers was a converted defenseman playing wing in a bottom-six role. At 215 lbs. he has the heft, wasn't afraid to through that weight around, would drop the gloves and could skate pretty well too. He had a solid first full NHL season in Buffalo registering 15 points (5+10) in a fourth-line role while playing in all 82 games for the Sabres in 2015-16.

However, despite scoring one more goal in 12 less games for Buffalo last season, Deslauriers looked like he took a step back. The big powerforward seemed slow to react to what was transpiring on the ice and as the speed of the game went up, his ice-time went down from 10:20 to 7:25.

Deslauriers has had a good training camp and may have done enough to warrant a spot on the roster in a reserve role.


Justin Bailey
22 yrs. old
6'4" 214 lbs.
2013, 52nd-overall

Career stats:  40 games  |  2 goals  |  2 assists  |  4 points  |  -2

This might go against what was laid out earlier, but there are a few factors involved in Bailey making the Sabres opening night roster.

The first one is the injury to Evan Rodrigues. The forward was hit hard into the boards over the weekend and his status is up in the air. Although the 24 yr. old Rodrigues wasn't a shoe-in to make the roster, he was having an extremely strong camp and was getting noticed for all the right reasons by the Sabres brass. If he's out there's room for Justin Bailey in the bottom-six in Buffalo.

Second in is Bailey's maturity and his success at the AHL-level. Although only 22 yrs. old, the big powerforward with impressive skating ability he seems to have learned about all he can from the minors with 81 points (43+38) in 122 AHL games.

Thirdly, he's made an impression on the penalty kill during preseason which is something that helped separate him  from other roster-bubble players. It's a change in philosophy short-handed that may have given him an in to the Sabres roster. According to Bailey, the coaches want more aggressiveness on the kill. "I'm a big guy and I have a long reach with my stick," he told the gathered media this weekend, "and one of my best assets is my legs, so whether it's a loose puck or a rebound or anything like that they want us to be going hard and physical at the guy."

He's smart enough to realize that if the PK is his ticket to the big club, than so be it.


Josh Gorges
33 yrs. old
6'1" 204 lbs.
Undrafted FA
Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens July 1, 2014

Career stats:  749 games  |  17 goals  |  105 assists  |  122 points  |  -2

Gorges was part of a veteran trio that Murray brought in on July 1, 2014 to help guide the youngins through what was about to become a very difficult transition. He, Brian Gionta and Matt Moulson all wore letters for the abysmal 2014-15 season and the transitional 2015-16 season.

As a defensive defenseman with some sandpaper to his game, Gorges was a good compliment to young defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen through those years. Although he struggled to keep pace with the best the opposition had to offer as a top-pairing defenseman, he held his own and was especially adept on the penalty kill. In Buffalo's first season out of the basement, the Sabres finished ninth in the league on the kill with a 82.6% success rate.

Gorges slowly moved down the depth-chart last season, and rightfully so, as the speed of the game began to pass him by. At 33 yrs. old and with a lot of wear and tear on his body after playing years as a rugged defenseman, playing on the third-pairing while also playing key minutes short-handed was an ideal situation for him. He's always been dependable but the game has changed and with Botterill bringing in three mobile defenseman who are more to what Housley is looking for, Gorges looks to be the odd man out.

When injuries hit, he'll get the call and there's a possibility that he could end up on the trade block at the trade-deadline next year as he's in the final year of his contract.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson / RW, Jason Pominville
LW, Zemgus Girgensons / C, Jacob Josefson / RW, Matt Moulson

Nicolas Deslauriers /  Justin Bailey

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian
D, Nathan Beaulieu / D, Victor Antipin

Josh Gorges


G, Robin Lehner
G, Chad Johnson

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--The Fourth Line

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-21-2017


There are a lot of variables that need to play out in the top-nine before a fourth line can be established, most notably what coach Phil Housley wants to do with Sam Reinhart. Moving him to center would push Johan Larsson down a spot which and with Jason Pominville moving into Reinhart's spot in the top-six, a third-line right wing spot is open.

What Housley does with another forward will also dictate what happens on the fourth line.

LW, Zemgus Girgensons
6'2" 207 lbs.
23 yrs. old
2012, 14th-overall
 
Career stats:  277 games  |   37 goals  |  49 assists  |  86 points  |  -29

Housley has given Girgensons first crack at landing a spot in the top-six on a wing with Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo. The 6'2" 207 lb. native of Latvia has the speed and will to get the forecheck going and once he gets the puck on his stick along the boards, the opposition can't get it away from him.

Girgensons' trials and tribulations under former head coach Dan Bylsma have been well documented as had been his 15-goal season prior to Bylsma coming to Buffalo. All that has been changed now with Housley behind the bench. In Buffalo's first pre-season game against Carolina, Girgensons skated 18:38 with three of the line's eight shots on goal. Although they didn't hit the score sheet, that line spent an abundant amount of time in the offensive zone.

"I thought that line was terrific," said Housley post game to the gathered media. "They provided a lot of energy. When we needed a big shift, they gave it to us, they changed the momentum of the game."

Housley also pointed out that they had a lot of looks, however that line failed to hit the scoresheet.

Girgensons has the will and desire to make a difference in the top-six, but any offensive acumen he may have had seemed to get lost under Bylsma. A golden opportunity is right in front of him, and the only question is, does he have enough offensive acumen to stick in that top-six role?


C, Jacob Josefson
6'0" 196 lbs.
26 yrs. old
2009, 20th-overall (NJD)
Signed by Buffalo in 2017.
 
Career stats:  276 games |  18 goals |  42 assists  |  60 points  |  -17

A Reinhart move back to center will directly affect Jacob Josefson as it means he's probably in the pressbox.

Josefson was signed by the Sabres in the off season as a depth move as GM Jason Botterill and were not sure what we have yet in him. The 26 yr. old center was labeled "an enigma" by Amanda Rosko of The Hockey Writers back in November, 2015. She wrote that he "exhibits a solid skill-set" but lacks "physicality and finish" and goes on to perpetuate the curious case of Jacob Josefson when she writes, "the mystery continues when a person examines Josefson’s shootout record and ability. When number 16 takes the ice for the Devils, it is almost automatically assumed that he will beat the oppositional goaltender regardless of whom it is when the game goes beyond 65-minutes. He excels and stands out in the skills competition."

The past five seasons Josefson has gone 11/20 (55%) in the shootout and is tops in the league over that period for players with 20 or more shootout attempts. The Sabres were 25th in the league scoring at a 22% rate (6/27) last season.


RW, Matt Moulson
33 yrs. old
6'1" 203 lbs.
2003, 9th round (263rd-overall, PIT)
Signed by Buffalo to a five year FA contract in 2014

Career stats:  636 games  |  176 goals  |  193 assists  |  369 points  |  -33


Forward Matt Moulson has had a rough for the better part of his three seasons in Buffalo as he's not been able to regain his 30-goal form from his time with the NY Islanders.

Moulson's first season in Buffalo was promising as he totaled 41 points (13+28) on Buffalo's top line for an offensively inept Sabres team. However he's had trouble in the two seasons since. In 2015-16, under Bylsma, he fell down the depth chart in large part due to improper off-season conditioning. He came back in much better shape, and with a renewed desire last season, but was relegated to powerplay specialist status as 11 of his 14 goals came with the man advantage.

He has two years left on his contract with a $5 million cap-hit. Buying him out would have been impractical this season but next year may be a different story.
Moulson is a great guy, who even took rookie Jack Eichel into his home to help him adjust. However, the speed of the game may have passed him by.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson / RW, Jason Pominville

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian
D, Nathan Beaulieu / D, Victor Antipin

G, Robin Lehner
G, Chad Johnson


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--G, Chad Johnson

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-20-2017


Chad Johnson
31 yrs. old
6'3" 196 lbs.
2006, 5th round (125th overall, PIT)
2017 Free Agent

Career stats:  137 games  |  68-45-12 record  |  2.44 GAA  |  .915 Sv%  |  7 shutouts


I’m not sure the Sabres could ask for a better backup goaltender right now. When GM Jason Botterill signed Chad Johnson on July 1, he got himself a very capable backup who’s proven to be competent no matter how many games he’s called on to play.

Case in point.

In the very first game of the 2015-16 season with Buffalo ready to come out from the league cellar, Johnson was thrust into the role of starter when Robin Lehner suffered a high-ankle sprain. Johnson calmly took the reigns of a team trying to find it's way with a new head coach, a boat-load of new players and a new system. Lehner would return in mid-January but end up being shut down for the season after appearing in 20 games since coming back from injury.

Johnson appeared in a career high 45 games for the Sabres that season establishing another career-high in wins. He finished the season with a 22-16-4 record, a 2.36 GAA and .920 Sv% which were 15th and 13th in the league, respectively, for goalies appearing in 40 or more games. At the end of the season he signed a one-year deal with his hometown Calgary Flames, who at the time had no incumbent starter.

The Flames signed Johnson to back up Brian Elliott, whom they acquired from St. Louis in a 2016 draft day deal. Elliott would flame-out early in the season giving Johnson an opportunity to take the No. 1 spot in Calgary. By mid-December Johnson was in complete control of the job sporting a 13-4-1 record with a .932 Sv%. However that would fall apart as Elliott regained his form and took his starters role back from Johnson.

On July 1, the very first thing new GM Botterill did in free agency was to sign Johnson to a rather large $2.5 million for one season. Among the things the signing did was provide insurance move as Lehner was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights who still had only on full season as a starter while also allowing third-year pro, Linus Ullmark, one more full season of development in Rochester.

 "We wanted to, instead of having a situation where some things beyond our control happen and it becomes a point of weakness, we wanted to have it as a position of strength," Botterill said at the end of a busy start to free agency. "And I think if you look at our one-two-three right now, it's a strength of our organization."

It should be remembered that Botterill was thrown right into the fire upon his May 11th hiring. He left his associate GM position with the Pittsburgh Penguins and immediately had to find a new head coach, tackle the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft while also getting primed for free agency which included getting up to speed on his new roster as well as looking to fill holes, most notably on defense. It's really not all that surprising that after bringing in three new defensemen, the first thing he did was land a capable back-up right off the bat.

For his part, Johnson was thrilled to be back with the Sabres. “I see the organization going in the right direction," he said on a conference call July 1. "They’re committed to winning." There also was a familiarity having been only one year removed from the club. And he said he's got some "unfinished business."

“I won a lot of games and had good numbers so I think being able to come back and be a part of the organization again and to have that drive to win and get back in the playoffs is special for me. I always felt like there was unfinished business."

There is a strong sense in Buffalo and around the league that the Sabres are in the upswing again and although the playoffs might be out of reach, any hope of making a post season push will depend upon every player not only carrying their weight, but going above and beyond the call of duty.

It's something Johnson is well prepared for and something he's proven to be capable of.



Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson / RW, Jason Pominville



D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian
D, Nathan Beaulieu / D, Victor Antipin


G, Robin Lehner

 

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--D, Nathan Beaulieu

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-17-2017


Nathan Beaulieu
24 yrs. old
6'2" 205 lbs.
2011, 17th-overall (MTL) Acquired by Buffalo on June 17, 2017

Career stats:  225 goals  |  7 goals  |  53 assists  |  60 points  |  +19


Defenseman Nathan Beaulieu was taken 17th-overall by the Montreal Canadians in the 2011 NHL Draft. He was drafted to be an "offensive-defenseman," according to Chris Bordeleau of NHL.com, a d-man who's "a good skater, good puck-mover...has a good shot and is very poised with the puck."

Heading into the draft, the left-shot Beaulieu was coming off of an impressive draft season with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL where he had his second consecutive 45-point season on the exact same totals of 12 goals and 33 assists. He was also a plus-44, which was one point better than the previous season, and he finished off the year as Memorial Cup Champion with the Sea Dogs. Although projected as a top-10 pick, Beaulieu falling to No. 17 was an "unexpected gift" for Montreal, according to Andrew Berkshire of the Habs site, EyesOnThePrize.

"Most scouting reports agree that Beaulieu's strongest assets are his skating ability and offensive instincts," wrote Berkshire in his Montreal draft review, "although he is guilty of forcing plays at times when there isn't one to be had. In fact in many respects Beaulieu seems very similar to another Habs prospect we have all come to love over the last few years: P.K. Subban."

Beaulieu finished his junior career by upping his point total to 52 (11+41) in only 53 games his final season and began to ply his trade with Montreal's AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, in 2012-13. He had a banner rookie season as a pro scoring 31 (7+24) points for Hamilton and earned a call to the big club for six regular season games. The following season he would have another solid campaign (7+20) and after playing in 13 regular season games for the Habs he made the post-season roster  appearing in seven playoff games for Montreal. This was a nice progression for Beaulieu and after eight games with Hamilton in 2014-15, he said goodbye to the AHL.

Yet, unbeknownst to Beaulieu changes would be coming to Montreal and with blotches on his Canadiens' career beginning to show, he found himself on the trading block eventually ending up with the Buffalo Sabres.

In April, 2013 Beaulieu and his father were involved in an incident at a post-golf party that brought assault charges against each of them. Four months later they both pleaded guilty to the charges. The word 'party' would follow Beaulieu again two years later in December, 2015 as a video was posted of him and teammate Chris Thomas, "partying the night away" following a loss that night to the Carolina Hurricanes. Thomas was traded ten days later and although the Habs claim there was no correlation between the incident and the trade, speculative dots were being connected.

A month later star forward Alex Galchenyuk was in the news for a domestic incident with his girlfriend who was arrested on a Sunday morning. Although the Beaulieu/Thomas and Galchenyuk incidents might not be related, hockeybuzz.com Habs blogger Brandon Smillie pointed to rumors that "Beaulieu's party life was sucking Galchenyuk into it as well."

The 2015-16 season was a very stressful one for the Canadiens as they lost Vezina-winning goalie Carey Price to a season-ending injury very early that season. Despite that, the Habs were at the top of the NHL standings heading into December but by mid-month (just after the Beaulieu/Thomas video) they were in the beginnings of a tailspin that would eventually cause them miss the playoffs. After a tumultuous season, Subban was traded to the Nashville Predators in a shocking one-for-one deal for Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators.

More changes were to follow this past season as Habs coach Michel Therrien was fired and replaced by Claude Julien on February 14. Beaulieu, who had started out the season with appearances on the top-pairing with Weber slowly fell down the depth chart. He went to the third pairing and then was a healthy scratch late in the season and for the final game of their first round playoff loss to the NY Rangers.

On May 17, former NHL'er Georges Laraque said (via GoHabsGo) that "the Montreal Canadiens have decided to trade both Alex Galchenyuk and Nathan Beaulieu over the summer." He noted that "the two youngsters have been involved in several controversies over the last few months due to some elements of their lives outside the rink and it is well known that the Habs organization has very thin patience when it comes to outside the rink incidents."

A month later, on June 17, Beaulieu was traded to the Sabres.

All of this is not to bag on Beaulieu for what he does on his own time, nor is it meant to lay the blame for the Habs decline on any or all mentioned above (save for the loss of Price to injury.) It's simply laid out to give some background as to why the Sabres were able to trade a third round pick for Beaulieu in June, just prior to the expansion draft.

According to Smillie, Beaulieu looked like a real solid top-four defender who could get you 25-30 points and was a fairly tough customer. Ironically, last season was his best pro season (4 goals, 24 assists, +8) despite falling down the depth chart and ending up in the new head coach's dog house.

Lucky for Buffalo, Beaulieu fell into the Sabres lap when they really needed to upgrade their defense-corps. He was the second of three d-men brought in by new GM Jason Botterill as he tries to revamp the Sabres defense with more mobile, puck movers. He's an NHL defender and when he's able to play his game, he looks the part of a top-four defender, which is what the Sabres were in need of.

For Beaulieu the trade to the Sabres was an opportunity for a fresh start. "I'm not going to get into too much about Montreal," he said after the trade. "I'm focused on Buffalo.

"I've got a huge opportunity to re-grow my game with a guy [in Buffalo head coach Phil Housley] who played the game similarly to the way I would like to play it."

Beaulieu signed a two-year contract with the Sabres this summer and although it's not a "prove-it" type deal in a "show me" type season for him, the onus is on him to do the work and focus his energies on his new team. There's a lot to learn and he'll be expected to play a solid role for the team somewhere in the bottom-four. I'm not sure if the "party-boy" label is true, but if he wants to reach his potential, it begins with an opportunity in Buffalo.

Like former Sabres GM Tim Murray once said, it's "not all rainbows, jujus and unicorns" with players. There are many who have warts and were not even sure what may or may not be true about Beaulieu's time in Montreal. We do know that on the ice he's  good-sized defenseman with great mobility who was drafted for his offensive prowess. He's still young at 24 yrs. old and props to the Canadiens for gradually working him through the system.

Should he work out, it will have benefitted the Sabres nicely.



Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson / RW, Jason Pominville


D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian
D, Nathan Beaulieu / D, Victor Antipin


G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--D, Victor Antipin

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-16-2017


Buffalo Sabres fans, and probably most fans outside of the KHL, don't know much about defenseman Victor Antipin. From what we've read and what we've seen on a limited basis he has the skills and skating that will fit right in to what new coach Phil Housley wants to accomplish with his defensemen. After yesterday's first practice of training camp, Housley was impressed with the 24 yr. old rookie and native of Oskemen, Kazakhstan.

"He's a student of the game," said Housley in response to a media observation that Antipin didn't seem to have much of a problem understanding Housley's on-ice drills and concepts despite a bit of a language barrier. "He was talking a lot to our assistant coaches, mainly Chris Hajt, and he really absorbs a lot, likes to watch a lot of video trying to understand our concepts.

"He's like a sponge and it's great to see."

Kazakhstan is a country smack-dab in the middle of Central Asia with Russia bordering on the north and China on the south-east. Oskemen is a city in the northern part of the country that has produced a few notable NHL'ers like Nik Antropov selected 10th-overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1998, goalie Evgeni Nabakov (1994, 9th round) and goalie Anton Khudobin who was also selected in the ninth round in 1994 (MIN.)

The closest major hockey league for Kasakhstani players, of course, is the Kontinental Hockey League and Antipin got his first taste of the pros at the age of 17. Two years later he was playing full time in five full seasons with Magnitogorsk Metallurg and he posted 36 goals and added 62 assists in 264 games for the club. He also played for Team Russia internationally winning the 2012 World Junior silver medal and grabbing a silver and two bronze medals at the World Championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

North Americans watching the World Championships got to see what Antipin had to offer, but KHL insider Aivis Kalniņš, who now writes for hockeybuzz.com, has known about Antipin for years. He gave WKBW's Matthew Bove a little insight into the then newly signed defensemen.

Antipin "is a passionate player," said Kalniņš, "who has a spark and willingness to go out there and prove that he belongs in the National Hockey league. A tiny guy with a huge heart." Kalniņš also called him a player with "a winning experience and overall fun guy."

What Antipin brings to the ice is skating, puck-moving ability, the knack for getting up ice and finding open spots as well as the ability to finish. It's a nice package, one that the Sabres were after while looking to revamp their defense-corps. "To me, he's the type of player that this organization needs to find a way to bring more in," said Sabres GM Jason Botterill on The Instigators Show just after Buffalo signed him. Botterill also gave props to he predecessor, Tim Murray who got the ball rolling months before.

By the end of June, Botterill had done just that by bringing in a couple more capable puck-movers in Nathan Beaulieu and Marco Scandella. While we're unsure where Beaulieu will ultimately land in the grand scheme of things, Scandella is slated to be anchoring the top pair with Rasmus Ristolainen.

Antipin signed with Buffalo largely because of opportunity. He has an out-clause that says he may return to Russia should he not be tabbed for the big club, but unless things go completely south, he'll have his opportunity to at least start on the bottom pairing. Kalniņš said that Antipin is "unlikely a top pair guy" but said his attributes should carry over to the NHL.

When Housley was asked what his first impressions of Antipin were, he said he thought all of his defensemen moved the puck well and that Antipin "was a terrific skater" that "reads well" and that as he becomes more accustomed to the NHL game, his reads "will become more aggressive, especially in the neutral zone." Which means stretch passes and jumping into the play when available.

Antipin is deft on the powerplay as well with Kalniņš saying he was "confident that one thing he will carry over will be his ability to be one of the best power play guys in the league." Buffalo had the top powerplay in the NHL last season converting on 24.5% of their opportunities with a top unit that's loaded. It would seem as if any PP time for Antipin would be on the second unit and there's a good possibility he could take over at the right point for Cody Franson who went unsigned by Buffalo, or even work the slot, which he's very capable of doing.

The cool part about Antipin's game is that he's a left-handed defenseman who can play either side, something that bodes well for the left-shot heavy Sabres d-corps. It's yet another feather in his cap.

The Sabres aren't exactly sure what they have in Antipin, but he has some very appealing on-ice attributes that fit very well with what they want to do. You can see some of that with these highlights of #9 courtesy Konstantin Glazov:


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5evz78" target="_blank"># 9 Viktor Antipin season 2016-17 Highlights
by http://www.dailymotion.com/Konstantin_Glazov" target="_blank">Konstantin_Glazov

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson / RW, Jason Pominville

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian
/ D, Victor Antipin

G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--RW, Jason Pominville

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-14-2017


Jason Pominville
34 yrs. old
6'0" 180 lbs.
2001, 2nd round (55th-overall)
Re-acquired by Buffalo from the Minnesota Wild on June 30, 2017

Career stats:  905 games  |  261 goals  |  401 assists  |  662 points  |  +65


One by one, then Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier was trading away his veteran players beginning in 2012. Core players Paul Gaustad and Derek Roy were traded that year then prior to the 2013 NHL trade deadline, veteran defensemen Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr were traded away. The change everyone in Buffalo had been clamoring for had begun but up until the April 3, 2012 trade deadline, there hadn't been an earth-shattering trade at the foot of Washington Street. However, that would change with a bombshell that clearly announced the Sabres were stripping away the core and heading into full rebuild-mode as on that day the Sabres traded team captain Jason Pominville to the Minnesota Wild.

Pominville was drafted by Buffalo in 2001 with the 55th-overall pick and was waived by the team at the beginning of the 2005-06 season after scoring 78 goals and adding 89 assists in 217 games for the Rochester Americans, but cleared and was sent minors. He joined the Sabres in the middle of that season and tallied 30 points (18+12) in 57 games leaving fans to wonder a.) why did the Sabres expose him to waivers? and b.) why didn't anyone claim him?

The 6'0" 280 lb. Repentigny, Quebec native ended up having a steady 578-game career in with the Sabres that included dependable play where he missed only nine games in his first full six seasons. Pominville also turned into a very consistent offensive contributor that never scored less than 20 goals or had less than 52 points those years before the trade. In 2011-12, his last full season in Buffalo, he had a career-high 73 points (30+43.) He also had a fan club in the stands with young girls holding "Marry Me" signs and even his own "Population of Pominville" section on the 300 level.

However, despite how popular and respected he was, the Sabres were going through a complete rebuild in 2013, no veteran player was safe and he was moved for quite the bounty. Regier was able to get a 2013 first round pick, a 2014 second round pick and prospects Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett for Pominville and a 2014 fourth-rounder.

Those Minnesota years are now over for Pominville with his return to Buffalo as the secondary part of a trade that brought defenseman Marco Scandella to the Sabres. The Wild needed to clear his $5.6 million cap-hit for the next two seasons so Pominville became a necessary piece in the deal. He finished the Wild portion of his career with 76 goals and 130 assists in 327 games.

Pominville Is now 34 yrs. old and the days of him playing a full-time, top-six role are pretty much over. But he's still very capable of filling in on the top-six when necessary while taking a regular spot playing third-line minutes. And he can continue playing an all-around game with time on the second powerplay unit and contributing to the penalty kill.

Buffalo did Minnesota a favor by taking on Pominville's salary, but if they wanted Scandella, that was the deal. However, GM Jason Botterill was asked by Sabres.com's Brian Duff if it was "fair to say that this isn't just a case of trading numbers to make the salary cap work."

"Without a doubt," replied Botterill about Pominville being a benefit to the club. "You look at what he produced even-strength last year without huge minutes (13 goals, 27 assists) and we all know his success on the powerplay, whether first unit or second unit, he's going to bring an element there.

"And just from a pure leadership standpoint," continued Botterill, "knowing this organization, knowing this city and the passion-level for the Sabres, I think he's going to fit in extremely well. Jason's not the most vocal guy, but just his mannerisms, preparing for practice, preparing for games, and his work ethic I think will add to our culture here."

So true.

Pominville exudes professionalism on the ice and in the dressing room, not unlike Ryan O'Reilly, and it wouldn't be surprising to see either or both of them with a letter sewn on their sweater. Will Pominville wear a 'C' like when the Sabres traded him?

Sure, it's possible, maybe even probable if the team is looking for him to fill the same role that departed captain Brian Gionta had last season. Gionta proved to be somewhat ageless while playing the third-line right wing role for the Sabres and finished seventh on the team in scoring with 15 goals and 20 assists in 82 games. He lead the team with the same style and leadership characteristics we find in Pominville.

It's not that hard to fathom Pominville with a letter, but one would think that the Sabres might be ready to move on from that quiet, professional, aged veteran wearing the 'C' while looking to the future with a younger player as captain. Maybe the 26 year old O'Reilly or even going all in with 20 yr. old Jack Eichel.

Regardless of who's wearing letters, Pominville will always be Pominville and he's going to be a great influence on the youngins and how they approach the game both on and off the ice.

That's a good thing.

For (probably) the next two seasons we'll be seeing him ply his trade on the right side of the forward group taking players like Sam Reinhart, Johan Larsson, Evan Rodrigues, Nicolas Baptiste and C.J. Smith under his wing and teaching them the finer points of playing the game. They'll be able to learn a lot from him and one would think that the Sabres will be a better team because of it.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson / RW, Jason Pominville

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian

G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--LW, Evan Rodrigues

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-13-2017


Evan Rodrigues
24 yrs. old
5'10" 183 lbs.
FA, 2015

Career stats:  32 games  | 5 goals  | 3 assists  |  8 points  |  -5


Forward Evan Rodrigues has been getting up to speed at the pro level for the last two seasons, mostly in Rochester. Although a tad small at 5'10" 183 lbs., the 24 yr. old native of Toronto, Canada has displayed the hockey smarts, skating and skills to make it in the NHL while his shot may keep him climbing up the ladder on the depth chart.

His versatility won't hurt either.

Coming out of Boston University in 2015, Rodrigues was known more for being Jack Eichel's wingman than anything else. In his final season at BU Rodrigues lit things up with 61 points (21+40) in 41 games, good for fourth in the nation, while playing on Eichel's left wing. It was a huge jump for Rodrigues who matched his goal output from the previous three seasons combined and had more total points as well.

However, Rodrigues is proving that he can stand on his own.

Rodrigues impressed at Sabres Development Camp in 2015 but had a slow start to his pro career as it took him 17 games to notch his first goal for the Rochester Americans. After a rough first half of the season, Rodrigues pulled it together to finish with 30 points (9+21.) He finished his rookie campaign donning the Blue and Gold for two games and scored his first goal of the season in the finale against the NY Islanders while also adding an assist.

Last season Rodrigues matched his previous Amerks point output of nine goals and 21 assists but did so in 24 less games (48) while also dropping his plus/minus rating from minus-15 to minus-2 for the season. With injuries hammering the Sabres last season, and with his play on an upward trend, Rodrigues played 30 games for the Sabres in a bottom six role scoring four goals and adding two assists while averaging 12:56 of ice-time. And he did so while playing both center and wing, sometimes within the same game. After a late-season game in Columbus where he scored a goal playing both positions, Rodrigues was asked by a reporter if it was an easy transition for him. "I've been doing it all year," he replied. "There's no real difficulty in that. You're either taking draws or you're not."

When talking with long time Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens late last season he said that Rodrigues played even better in Buffalo than he did in Rochester. "Overall," said Stevens, "I think he had an outstanding year and certainly has made a case for him to win a full-time job [in Buffalo.]"
With obvious weakness on the Sabres left side, there's a huge opportunity for Rodrigues to land a spot at left wing in Buffalo if that's where new head coach Phil Housley sees a fit for him. Housley was on The Instigators yesterday talking about versatility in his players, something GM Jason Botterill had also mentioned as well, which bodes well for a player like Rodrigues. "We're gonna move guys around," he told the hosts, "this is going to be part of the evaluation process.

"Guys are going to be in different spots," continued Housley, "we're going to find that chemistry, hopefully by that final exhibition game, where we say this is close to where we're going to be."

In looking at Rodrigues through Housley's eyes, he has a player who skates very well, has the hockey sense to get to open ice or find a teammate in open ice and has a quick and accurate shot while also showing the versatility to play wing or center. About the only thing Rodrigues doesn't have is loads of NHL experience, which he seems to have earned while working his way up the ranks in Rochester.

Rodrigues will have a good shot of landing a spot in the bottom-six in Buffalo out of camp should his progress continue. Placing him at left wing (or even center if that's how it unfolded) on the third line would be optimal projection for him heading into camp. We're not sure if he has the upside to ride shotgun on Eichel's wing but then again it shouldn't be ruled out.

Botterill came from a Pittsburgh organization that saw a number of different players excel on Sidney Crosby's wing while a noted goal-scorer like Phil Kessel did his thing on the third line.

One of the keys for the Sabres moving forward will be if he can play in a scorers role while his salary remains on the lower end of the scale like Connor Sheary and Jake Guentzel have done for the Penguins have done. Eichel's set to command a pretty hefty salary and he, along with players like Ryan O'Reilly, Kyle Okposo and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, are set to take up a huge chunk of the salary cap in the near future. That makes a player like Rodrigues very attractive.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Evan Rodrigues / C, Johan Larsson /

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian

G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--C, Johan Larsson

Published by bockeybuzz.com, 9-12-2017


Johan Larsson
25 yrs. old
5'11" 200 lbs.
2010, 56th-overall (MIN)
Acquired in a trade on April 3, 2013 with the Minnesota Wild

Career stats:  178 games  |  22 goals  |  26 assists  |  48 points  |  -11

At the end of the day on July 1, Buffalo GM Jason Botterill had just finished the arduous task of taking over a new team with a flurry of activity facing him. Botterill was hired on May 11 and had a quick introduction to his new scouting staff while prepping for the draft, had an expansion draft to prepare for, then the 2017 NHL Draft itself and finally onto free agency where he and his staff signed eight players to bolster both the Sabres and the Rochester Americans on the very first day.

After a brief period it was on to making decisions on the many RFA's in the organization which included arbitration for three players--Johan Larsson, newly acquired defenseman Nathan Beaulieu and starting goalie Robin Lehner.

Larsson was the first of the three to settle as he and the Sabres came together on a 2yr./$2.95 million deal July 8.

The stout, 5'11" 200 lb. native of Sweden and captain of their 2012 World Junior gold medal squad (their first since 1981) was a third round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2010 (56th-overall) and came to Buffalo when the Sabres traded away Jason Pominville in . It was a trade that, for Buffalo, began an organization clearing tear-down in a scorched earth rebuild and ironically, Pominville is now back with the Sabres and Larsson is heading into his fifth season with Buffalo.

In 2015-16 Larsson completed his first full season with the club chalking up a career high 10 goals and 17 points and that seemed to be his floor. He was well on his way to taking up those numbers a notch before crashing awkwardly into the boards in Boston on December 31 and dislocating both his elbow and wrist. Surgery kept him out the rest of the season but he should be fully healthy when training camp starts in two days.

In 178 NHL games Larsson notched 48 points (22+26,) which is rather meager, but he does have seven game-winning goals as a Sabre and had 49.1% faceoff percentage last year, which was second on the team behind Ryan O'Reilly (58%) for those taking 250 or more draws. Numbers, however, don't tell the whole story with him.

When he's on his game, Larsson has a very abrasive style of play that grates on the opposition to the point where they end up chasing him around instead of following the play. He's very aware in the defensive zone as represented by his team-high 64.7% d-zone starts and was also used on the penalty kill. In a nod to the offensive side of his game, Larsson was also used sparingly on the powerplay (:28/game) and did manage a powerplay goal.

The knock on Larsson, and why he's in a defensive/checking role, has always been his skating, which he's been able to overcome with smarts and a (junk-yard) dogged determination. How that plays into  Phil Housley's scheme will be determined as the new head coach wants to play an up-tempo style with his defense joining the rush. Housley was hired by the Sabres nearly a full month before they re-signed Larsson to his two-year deal and it would seem as if he has no problem integrating Larsson into his system.

Injuries took away what was promising to be his best season ever and one could surmise that we still haven't seen Larsson's production peak yet. Regardless of that, when Botterill signed off on the deal he looked at the (then) 24 yr. old as an asset. The third-line center position could be up for grabs this year dependent upon how Housley wants it constructed and in the years to come, Larsson will have a couple of players, most notably Rasmus Asplund and Cliff Pu, nipping at his heels for that spot.

That's not a bad thing for the Sabres as ideally Larsson would make for an excellent fourth-line center on a Cup-contending team. And if we see him in that spot, it will mean good things are happening for the forward group.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo
/ C, Johan Larsson /

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian

G, Robin Lehner

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--D, Zach Bogosian

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-11-2017


Zach Bogosian
27 yrs. old
6'3" 228 lbs.
2008, 3rd-overall (ATL)
Acquired in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets February 11, 2015

Career stats:  534 games  |  49 goals  |  120 assists  |  169 points  |  -73


Defenseman Zach Bogosian came to Buffalo as part of the Tyler Myers/Evander Kane deal back in February, 2015. Because of injuries he's played in 141 of a possible 201 games for the Sabres over the course of those two-and-a-half seasons, which is fairly typical of the way things have gone for the hard-nosed defenseman over the course of his career.

Bogosian got off to a tepid start in Buffalo after the trade with former head coach Ted Nolan skating him over 26 minutes/game. The following season with a new coach in Dan Bylsma, Bogosian settled in on the second-pairing with rookie Jake McCabe and at times were the best pairing on the ice. The duo had brain-farts on an individual basis but as a duo they performed pretty consistently with McCabe leading the team in plus-minus with a plus-6.

Last year didn't go as well for Bogosian as put up abysmal numbers in another injury-shortened season scoring a career-low two goals and equaling a career-low in points with 11. He missed 26 games while suffering knee and rib injuries and it took a while for him to get up to game-speed. Although Bogosian is only 27 yrs. old, his rambunctious play over the course of 534 NHL games is beginning to take it's toll and he still has a skill-set that can be put to good use.

Bogosian skates extremely well for a 6'3" 228 lb. defenseman and he's got a heavy shot ta boot. Last season he got up ice and blasted this one past perennial Vezina candidate Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens (1:10-minute mark):



(Thank you, Sportsnet)


Things were amiss in Buffalo last season and we're still not sure exactly what caused the team to take a step backwards. Owner Terry Pegula wasn't satisfied with what transpired and he fired both GM Tim Murray, who orchestrated the trade for Kane and Bogosian, and coachBylsma on the same day. Little by little we're getting a picture of a team that, among other things, was in disarray in part because a clash between coaching style and players.

A lot of the blame for last year's woes fell on what was considered an inadequate, at best, defense corps and although that may be true to an extent, goalie Robin Lehner said that the problem last season was that "we didn't know how to play" while also saying "it was a common misconception" that the defense was the problem. Jack Eichel talked about new head coach Phil Housley wanting to play an up-tempo game that's right in his wheelhouse. "Obviously, pushing the pace, playing with the puck, possessing it, playing fast, all that stuff bodes well for me, and I think it should be a good fit," he said after a recent workout.

And Bogosian called the last two years under Bylsma, "frustrating and disappointing." He told WGR550's Paul Hamilton that "skating is definitely my strong point."

"Last year and the year before I felt like I was handcuffed back there," said Bogosian. "I don't think I got a chance to play my game in the way I know I can play and I'm just looking forward to a new start and play my game which is jumping up into the play.”

He should get the opportunity to "play his game" this season under Housley. The first time head coach was an assistant in Nashville last season and his defense-corps were the most dangerous group in the playoffs. However, regardless of what Housley may or may not be able to do with the d-men as a group, it's up to Bogosian to pick up his game. Coming off of possibly his worst season ever and with three years left on his contract at a $5.143 cap-hit, the Sabres are pretty much stuck with him and an "injury-prone" tag doesn't help matters either.

With a good training camp and, of course, barring injury, Bogosian should get the opportunity to use his skating and skill in a top-four role. The Sabres will have three new faces on defense including a 24 yr. old rookie coming over from Russia and a 24 yr. old who fell down the depth chart and into the press box in Montreal last season.

Either of those two may end up supplanting Bogosian if he falters or is injured, but having two d-men who are familiar with each other like Bogosian and McCabe are, at least to start the season, should help the transition under a new head coach.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen
D, Jake McCabe / D, Zach Bogosian


G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--D, Jake McCabe

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-10-2017


Jake McCabe
23 yrs. old
6'1" 209 lbs.
2012, 44th overall

Career stats:  167 games  |  7 goals  |  28 assists  |  35 points  |  -4

It's pretty clear that when Buffalo GM Jason Botterill made the deal for Minnesota defenseman Marco Scandella that he was trading for Rasmus Ristolainen's partner on the top pairing. Although Scandella wasn't logging those minutes with the Wild, there's the belief that he will be able to step up his game and help anchor the Sabres blueline.

Ristolainen has been the Sabres workhorse the last two seasons and it showed as signs of the wear and tear became visible in his overall game. Along the way, Buffalo's top defenseman was paired with a number of players and the one he had the most success with was 23 yr. old Jake McCabe. The duo anchored the Sabres defense for most of the last season.

Automatically putting Scandella on the top-pairing may prove to be a disservice to McCabe as training camp and the preseason will sort things out, but having him on the second pairing will certainly help solidify the top four should things be laid out as such.

McCabe has taken the long, steady road to a spot in that top-four group. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native spent three years in his home state playing four the Wisconsin Badgers before leaving for the pros. He got and a taste for the NHL with a seven-game stint in Buffalo at the end of the 2013-14 season and left Boston's Daneil Paille his calling card:

After spending all but one game in the 2014-15 season plying his trade in Rochester, McCabe would play one game for the Amerks the following season before being called up to Buffalo for good. At 6'0" 214 lbs. he always had a pro-ready frame but it took a while for his skills and hockey smarts to catch up to the pro game. McCabe isn't without faults and he's had his fair share of blunders, but one of the things he's always been able to do is bounce back from a mistake and rarely does it happen again.

Former Sabres coach Dan Bylsma had McCabe on the second pairing with Zach Bogosian in 2015-16 and the rookie lead the team with a plus-six rating while averaging 19:07 minutes/game. Last season that time was upped to 20:42 min./gm and he finished a minus-7 against much stiffer competition while playin on the top pair.

It would seem as if we're starting to find a sweet spot for his ice-time and a more well-defined slot in the d-corps, although he still has upside. McCabe will continue to learn and grow and tighten his defensive game but we shouldn't discount offensive upside, especially with new coach Phil Housley taking the reigns of the team.

McCabe has a knack for sneaking in from the point and finding that open seem in the slot as shown here in Team USA vs. Team Canada at the 2013 World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia:



(Thank You, BigHockeyMoments)

That was the opening goal of the semi-final matchup that propelled Team USA past the rival Canadians and into the final where they won gold. McCabe was the captain of that team and the coach was Housley.

McCabe has continued to show that knack for finding open space at the NHL-level but has been unable to put the puck in the net with any consistency. He has seven goals in 167 career games with a shooting percentage of 4.9%.

Regardless of his offensive output to this point in his still young NHL career, McCabe has gotten a good handle on the speed of the NHL and is solid in his zone, which seemed to be his major area of focus these first few seasons. He's got an old-school mentality and doesn't say a lot, preferring to let his play speak for him. And, McCabe still has that calling card, something he laid on Winnipeg Jets star winger Patrick Laine back in early January: 



(Thank you, Sportsnet)


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen


G, Robin Lehner


Follow me on twitter @boosbuzzsabres

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--RW, Kyle Okposo

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-9-2017


Kyle Okposo
29 yrs. old
6'0" 208 lbs.
2006, 7th-overall (NYI)
Signed as a free agent July 1, 2016

Career stats:  594 games  |  158 goals  |  256 assists  |  414 points  |  -67


At the time it seemed as if it wasn't much of a big deal. Right wing Kyle Okposo was a late scratch for Buffalo as the Sabres travelled to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. Okposo, who had played in two games since dealing with a rib injury that kept him out 10 games prior, was listed as "ill" for the March 28 game and it was lost in controversy.

Prior to the game, winger Sam Reinhart had been suspended by the team, but with Okposo ruled out the team had to dress Reinhart to reach the NHL-mandated 20-player minimum. Without the possibility of bringing in a call-up on such late notice, the 21 yr. old sat on the bench the entire game.

We found out much later that the "illness" Okposo was suffering from was a concussion, which would cause him to miss the final six games of the season. Things would take a turn for the worse in early April as Okposo had an averse reaction tot the medication he was taking and wound up in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at Buffalo General Hospital.

"Intensive care is a scary place to be," he wrote in a letter to fans in July, "but I needed a place where I could be stabilized. My doctors felt that the Neuro Surgical ICU at Buffalo General was the best place for that to happen.

In that letter he laid out what had happened, that it was a "routine hit in practice" and that he "brushed it off" until his mood began to change and the people around him began to notice. "The medications they gave me to sleep caused a negative reaction in my body," he wrote. "I still couldn't sleep, and the weight loss continued at an alarming rate. At one point, I weighed less than 200 pounds."

During his stay in ICU he was alone with his thoughts. "Your mind starts to question a lot of different things," he told the gathered media after a workout this past week, which included what would happen with his hockey career and whether or not he'd feel normal again.

Okposo began to feel normal in May, in early June he visited the Sabres practice facility and had been in contact with new general manager Jason Botterill who said at coach Phil Housley's introductory press conference that "everything is looking great" for Okposo. "He physically looks great, mentally looks great... From our standpoint, everything will be ready for him at the start of training camp, just like all our other players."

In July, to everyone's delight, Okposo skated in Da Beauty League, an annual charity tournament in his home state of Minnesota. He didn't give any interview afterward but he did reflect upon his reasoning for playing in the tourney saying it wasn't so much to prove he could play again, but it was moreso to "get in more game action, just to try and get some timing back."

This was Okposo's first season in Buffalo after singing a 7yr./$42 million contract on Day-1 of free agency in 2016. Before he went down with his rib injury on March 4, Okposo was leading the team in scoring with 43 points (19+24) in 63 games. He added two assists in two games before his concussion and finished with 45 points in his first season in Buffalo tied for fourth on the team in scoring.

Okposo created great chemistry with center Ryan O'Reilly throughout the season despite the fact that they didn't play a full compliment of games because of injuries to both players. O'Reilly was hampered by back spasms early in the season and had an emergency appendectomy on Christmas day which kept him out for two weeks.

That O'Reilly/Okposo duo was the most consistent forward pairing for Buffalo last season and there's no reason to think that new head coach Phil Housley will deviate from that this season. Especially when Okposo will need some time to acclimate himself back into the speed of the NHL game.

Buffalo fans, who showed immense support for Okposo during his ordeal are sure to give him a rousing round of applause on opening night when the announcer belts out, "At right wing, Number 21, Kyle Okposo!"


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:


LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart

LW, Benoit Pouliot / C, Ryan O'Reilly / RW, Kyle Okposo


D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen


G, Robin Lehner

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--G, Robin Lehner

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-4-2017


It all began at the 2015 NHL Draft when the Buffalo Sabres sent the 21st overall pick to the Ottawa Senators for goalie Robin Lehner (and F, David Legwand.) Then GM Tim Murray made the trade in the hopes that the 23 yr. old Lehner would be the team's No. 1 goalie for years to come.

The trade was a gamble in that it's a rarity to trade a first-rounder for a goalie but it wasn't without precedent. In 2011 the Washington Capitals goalie Semyon Varlamov was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2012 first round pick (and also a second rounder.) In 2013 the New Jersey Devils trade the ninth-overall pick to the Vancouver Canucks for goalie Cory Schneider. And at the same 2015 draft that saw Lehner moved, the San Jose' Sharks sent a 2016 first-rounder to Boston for goalie Martin Jones.

But it was also a gamble for the Sabres in that Lehner was still an unknown quantity who was coming off of a season shortened by a concussion. Although Murray knew Lehner when both were with the Ottawa Senators organization the 6'4" 239 lb. Swede, who backstopped Binghamton to the 2011 Calder Cup, was in a three-way battle for the starter's role in Ottawa. Prior to his concussion in February, 2015, Lehner had played in only 86 NHL games over the course of five seasons with the Senators.

With the deal done, Lehner entered the 2015-16 season as the undisputed No. 1 goalie in Buffalo. However, in the second period of his first Sabres game, ironically against the Senators, Lehner suffered a high-ankle sprain that would keep him out of the lineup until January, 2016. He would appear in 20 games for Buffalo through January but he was shut down in late March after lingering issues with the ankle caused him to opt for surgery.

One first round pick and one full year later, the Sabres still didn't know if they had a starter in Lehner.

Lehner started 59 games last year for Buffalo and compiled a 23-26-8 record with a 2.68 GAA and .920 Sv%, thus proving he could handle the workload of a No. 1 goalie. He came into training camp last September looking tight after doing MMA training over the summer and was determined to take the reigns of the starting goalie. Mission accomplished.

And he's back in Buffalo now, after following the same training regimen.

WGR550 Radio's Paul Hamilton said that Lehner "is in top physical condition" and that he's very confident heading into camp. “I've got nothing to prove to you," Lehner told Hamilton at a recent workout in Buffalo. "Since I came here there have been some ups and downs. I've been injured, but I've been a steady over 92 percent (Sv%) and its something I want to keep improving on and hopefully we can just tighten it up as a team this year and get some more team success.”

Lehner has been all that, all while facing the third most shots in the league last year (1,910) but last season didn't come without trouble areas. He looked shaky in odd-man situations and did let in more than his fair share of softies Yet he also showed some remarkable work like this in Montreal:



(Thank you, Sportsnet.CA.)

In that game he outdueled Canadians goalie Carey Price who, by the way, was just re-signed by Montreal at an AAV of $10.5 million.

His Achilles heel, however, seems to be the shootout. Lehner did not stop a single opponent in eight opportunities. In addition, none of the shooters he faced mishandled the puck or shot wide every goal against him in the shootout went in, like this one from Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov (via NHL.com):



And so 65 minutes of work against the Lightning featuring 31 saves on 32 shots all went for naught as Lehner will be remembered more for the shootout session then his work getting the Sabres to that point.

It's another hurdle for Lehner but it should also be noted that in his the two seasons with Ottawa prior to becoming a Sabres, he had some very good shootout numbers--44 attempts, 30 saves (.681%)--and in his initial, injury-shortened first Sabres season he managed to stop two of six shots against.

We're not sure what happened but we do know a couple of things. First off, he was asked by management to tone down his intensity and second, he may not have had the utmost confidence in the coaching staff last season. Although not directly related to his shootout woes, Lehner did tell Hamilton that he was excited about the "new direction" the team was headed in and how he thinks it will affect the defense in front of him.

“I had no problems with the defensemen, but the problem was we really didn't know how to play," he said. "It's not just the defensemen, that's a common misconception, it's how we play as a team.

“If you watched the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year all the good teams like Pittsburgh, everyone defends, everyone comes back and everyone plays as a five-man unit and its fast forward and fast back to the defensive zone and I think that's what Phil wants. He doesn't want us to play slow, he wants to play fast and everyone attacks and everyone defends and we didn't do that last year.”

There are still question marks surrounding Lehner as well as the team but he did answer the question as to whether or not he could shoulder the load as a starting goalie. He'll still need to get over that shootout hurdle and he'll also need to cut down on the softies and perhaps that's why he was only signed to a one-year extension.

The next question he'll need to answer is whether or not he can help guide this team to the playoffs and there will be other questions as the season, and his career progresses.

However there's still one question that will dog him for a while, was he worth a first round pick?



Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:


LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart


D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen


G, Robin Lehner

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--D, Marco Scandella

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-3-2017


Marco Scandella
27 yrs. old
6'3" 208 lbs.
2008, 2nd round (55th-overall)
Acquired in a trade with Minnesota June 30, 2017

Career Stats:  373 games  |  27 goals  |  62 assists  |  89 points  |  -10



Similar to last year, the Buffalo Sabres head into the 2017-18 season in a situation where Rasmus Ristolainen will be anchoring the defense as the team's only top pairing defenseman. It will then be up to the coaching staff and/or player chemistry to find out who will be joining him on Buffalo's top defensive pairing.

As it stands now, Marco Scandella looks as if he'll be in that No. 2 role heading into the season. Others like Jake McCabe or Nathan Beaulieu may make a push with a strong camp, but when the Sabres sent a trade-package to the Minnesota Wild for Scandella, which included taking back Jason Pominville's rather large $5.6 million cap-hit for the next two seasons, one would think that Buffalo GM Jason Botterill has designs on Scandella pairing with Ristolainen.

"It was a priority for us to try to find another guy that can play some heavy minutes," said Botterill of the trade for Scandella (via Jourdan LaBarber of Sabres.com.) "We think [he] did a little bit of that in Minnesota, but he was certainly surrounded by some good defensemen and I think now playing a bigger role here (in Buffalo,) he's ready to take the next step in his career."

Buffalo head coach Phil Housley saw a lot of Scandella when he was an assistant with the Nashville Predators. He told the post-trade gathered media that Scandella was a "terrific player" and a "fierce competitor" and that the 27 yr. old was "a key element" the team added. At 6'3" and 208 lbs. he's got size and he's also considered a shutdown defenseman but he skates very well to and is adept at moving the puck up ice. "The way he can skate," said Housley, "[he] is mobile ... A big part of our team is going to be mobility back there and he brings that.” He can also put up points although he had a down year last season.

Scandella's two-way game was very appealing to Botterill, especially with the way Housley is expected to coach the defensemen. "It'll be interesting to see how much his offensive numbers really increase," he said. "Whether he gets the assists or not, he's going to start our transition game out of our own end and in the neutral zone and then with his size and his compete down low, his reach, we really think he's going to be able to log a lot of minutes on our PK and be able to play against other teams' top two lines."

Last season under new coach Bruce Boudreau Scandella saw his year-over-year numbers drop. He went from 21 pints (5+16) in 2015-16 under then coach Mike Yeo to 13 points (4+9) last season and he also saw his ice-time drop from 20:42/game to 18:20/gm. Part of that ice-time reduction had to do with the quality of defensemen on the Wild while another part was his play, which dropped off.

Although he had a rough regular season, Scandella turned it on in the playoffs averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice-time in the five-game series vs. the St. Louis Blues. That number was second only to top defenseman Ryan Suter.

Chad Graff of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press said that Scandella was "eager to turn the page" after the regular season and that he was "thriving" in the post season. Having 34 games of playoff experience perhaps lead Boudreau to lean on him a little more and he made the most of it and although he didn't hit the score sheet, he really upped his game. “I’ve always thought my game works really well in the playoffs,” said Scandella in the Graff piece. “This is the way that I have to play every night, I find it’s been really effective. I just have to be an animal defensively. I have that long stick and a big body and I can skate, so I need to use that to my advantage.”

If Scandella hopes to once again thrive in the post season, he'll need to bring that same package every night during the regular season for Buffalo as Housley may need to lean heavily on him in a top-pairing role.


Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart

D, Marco Scandella / D, Rasmus Ristolainen

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster--D, Rasmus Ristolainen

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-2-2017


Rasmus Ristolainen
22 yrs. old
6'4" 203 lbs.
2013, 8th-overall

Career Stats:  273 games  |  25 goals  |  85 assists  |  110 points  |  -77

Buffalo’s Rasmus Ristolainen came in at No. 23 on NHL.com’s list of the top-20 defensemen in the league. The 22 yr. old Sabres rearguard was sandwiched between an "on the bubble" group that found him behind Justin Faulk (CAR) and John Klingberg (DAL) but ahead of Marc-Edouard Vlasic (SJS) and Seth Jones (CBJ,) a player that was picked four spots ahead of Ristolainen in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

 

To Sabres fans, Ristolainen is the team's No. 1 defenseman who was a workhorse under previous head coach Dan Bylsma while averaging an NHL fifth-best 26:28 minutes per game last season. That  was over a minute more than the 25:17 ATOI from the prior season. The 6'4" 203 lb. native of Turku, Finland will be entering his fifth NHL season and has upped his point total every season while his plus/minus has gone down. Last season Ristolainen potted six goals and added 39 assist for a career-high 45 points with a minus-9 rating.

 

Those are the overall numbers which make him a key component on the Sabres. However, there's a quibble over Ristolainen's effectiveness as a defenseman, whether or not he should be viewed as a No.1 or even a top-pairing d-man, and where his place should be in the pecking order of NHL defensemen.

 

The quibble is based upon the analytics community busting out their spread sheets and concluding that Ristolainen isn't all he's cracked up to be. From the extreme side of that equation, one person wrote prior to last season that the Sabres are better without him on the ice. Stats are stats, however, and if you ask any player or coach that has played with or against him, they'd probably offer up a different opinion.

 

There is truth to both statistical sides but what there are a couple truisms that can't be denied. As stated, Ristolainen has upped his production every season in the league and also his ATOI has increased every season as well. Bylsma relied heavily on Ristolainen last season playing him over 29 minutes/game in 20 games and 30 minutes or more in eight of those.

 

Despite being in top-notch shape, Ristolainen, as he did the prior season, wore down and became less and less effective in the mid-latter part of the season. Part of that has to do with game management and part of it has to do with his defense partners. As he matures, Ristolainen will start managing the game better but he really has no control over his d-partners. In the past Ristolainen has been taking on the best the opposition has with a variety of defense partners none of whom should ideally be on the top paring. Each brought different skills but also brought an array of deficiencies that had to be accounted for as well.

 

And there's also Bylsma's system that affected the entire team including the defense corps, as stated by goalie Robin Lehner recently. “The problem was we really didn’t know how to play,” he told a group of reporters at a workout last weekend. “The defensemen, it’s a common misconception (it was a problem). It’s how we play as a team. I was sitting watching the whole Stanley Cup playoffs last year. If you watch the good teams, look at Pittsburgh, everyone defends, everyone comes back and everyone plays as a five-man unit, and it’s fast forward and fast back in the defensive zone.

 

“I think that’s what [new coach] Phil [Housley] wants. He doesn’t want us to play slow. He wants us to play fast, and everyone attacks and everyone defends. That’s what we need to do. We didn’t do that last year. We were playing as three forwards and two defensemen.”

 

Ristolainen is still learning a lot about the game but he has himself a solid foundation. The criteria for NHL.com's top-20 defensemen was laid out as such, "Whether it's blocking a shot, breaking up a pass or chipping in offensively, there are many areas that make a player a top defenseman," and Ristolainen did all of that very effectively in a No. 1 role. He's still weak in areas but taken as a whole, he's been progressing nicely.

 

"[Ristolainen is] only 22 and plays in every situation, and the Sabres rely on him so heavily," said NHL.com's Ken Daneyko, a former defenseman and three-time Stanley Cup winner. "He's big, strong and is just rounding out his game. It takes some young defensemen longer than others, but I only expect him to get better and better."

 

I think those of us in Sabreland would agree.

 

 

Building the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Evander Kane / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart

 

D, Rasmus Ristolainen