(Best E Casino) - The 2007-08 season must have been a hard pill for
Buffalo Sabres fans to swallow.
After back-to-back losses in the Eastern Conference finals, the Sabres saw its co-captains (Daniel Briere and Chris Drury) depart in the summer of 2007 for more lucrative free agent opportunities.
Buffalo then dealt its top defenseman Brian Campbell prior to the 2007-08 trade deadline, further confirming the fact that Buffalo is in a rebuilding phase.
Fortunately for the Sabres, they have plenty of young talent remaining on the roster and the club still had enough scoring depth to stay in last year's playoff chase for much of the season. Buffalo ultimately finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and four points out of a postseason berth.
The Sabres did try to address some of their defensive issues this past offseason by trading for blueliner Craig Rivet.
Also, the signing of franchise goaltender Ryan Miller to a five-year, $31.25 million extension in the offseason shows that the Sabres are still keeping an eye on the present while simultaneously looking towards the future.
FORWARDS - The loss of Briere and Drury certainly hurt the Sabres in 2007-08 and was ultimately a major reason the team failed to make the postseason for a third straight year.
However, Buffalo hardly lacked offense last season as they finished fourth in the NHL with 3.06 goals per game. Still, the Sabres' scoring depth didn't include a bona fide go-to guy.
Thomas Vanek was supposed to be the team's main offensive threat after signing a seven-year, $50 million contract with Buffalo prior to the 2007-08 campaign, but his 36 goals and 64 points were a bit of a disappointment. However, the Austrian left wing had 43 goals and 84 points for the Sabres in 2006-07 and is still considered a rising talent at just 24 years of age.
Vanek's line will once again be centered by Derek Roy, who led the Sabres last year with 81 points (32 goals, 49 assists) in 78 games. Jason Pominville was second on the team with 81 points on 27 goals and 53 helpers. Pominville was recently given a five-year extension that will keep him with the club through the 2013-14 season.
The second line is centered by Tim Connolly, who is effective when he manages to avoid injury. Connolly has played in just 50 total games over the past two regular seasons, but had a solid 40 points (7g, 33a) in 48 contests last year.
Jochen Hecht and Ales Kotalik flank Connolly on the second line and had 49 and 43 points, respectively, last season for the Sabres.
Drew Stafford, a 22-year-old right wing, notched 16 goals and 38 points in 64 games last year, showing glimpses of why he was picked 13th overall in the 2004 draft. Paul Gaustad, the 6-4, 222-pound centerman on Stafford's line, had a nice 2007-08 campaign with 36 points (10g, 26a).
A close eye should also be kept on veteran right winger Maxim Afinogenov, who had just 28 points (10g, 18a) in 56 games last season. The Russian sniper could be more focused this season since he is eligible for free agency in the summer of 2009.
DEFENSE - Replacing the All-Star Campbell with Rivet won't get many people excited in Buffalo, but the Sabres can count on their newest blueliner to play a solid two-way game.
Buffalo was 22nd in the NHL last season with an average of 2.84 goals allowed per game. The club was also 14th in the league with an 18-percent success rate on the power play. Rivet should help to improve both of those areas.
Rivet played in 75 games for San Jose last year and notched 35 points (5g, 30a), while showing his penchant for physical play with 104 penalty minutes.
Jaroslav Spacek led the Sabres with nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game last year and could see that number dwindle a bit with the arrival of Rivet. Spacek was excellent for Buffalo last year, notching 32 points (9g, 23a) in just 60 games.
The Sabres also need Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman to rebound from down seasons in 2007-08. Both players saw their ice time in the third period reduced towards the end of last season, a clear sign that they were in head coach Lindy Ruff's doghouse.
General manager Darcy Regier re-signed Teppo Numminen to a one-year deal after the 40-year-old missed all but one game last season after undergoing surgery to repair a faulty valve in his heart. The 40-year-old blueliner is a former All-Star, but the Sabres will be happy if he can even stay on the ice and add some depth this season.
The Sabres are also high on a pair of young defensemen in Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera. Both players are expected to have an increased role in the 2008-09 season after playing in a combined 53 NHL games a year ago.
GOALTENDING - The Sabres have one of the NHL's best goaltenders at their disposal in Miller, who really showed his worth with a workhorse performance during last year's regular season.
Miller started a whopping 75 games in 2007-08 and was 36-27-10 with a 2.64 goals against average and .906 save percentage. However, the 28-year-old faltered down the stretch and that was likely due to the fact that he played in each of Buffalo's final 34 games.
This offseason the Sabres went out and signed veteran backstop Patrick Lalime to spell Miller and he's expected to be used much more than last year's backup, Jocelyn Thibault.
Lalime had a decent year for the Chicago Blackhawks last year, going 16-12-2 with a 2.82 GAA and .897 save percentage.
WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - The Sabres missed the 2008 playoffs by a slim margin and a more consistent effort this season could get the club back to the postseason. One problem with that is Buffalo plays in the Northeast Division, which boasts three playoff teams (Montreal, Ottawa and Boston) from last year. The Sabres have a solid nucleus on offense, but still need somebody to step up and take charge in the opposition's zone. Until that happens, Buffalo will toe the line between playoff hopeful and postseason spectator.
