It has been 13 painful years since the Buffalo Sabres extended their season with a playoff appearance. The likes of Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville are long gone. During this stretch, the Sabres have gone through seven different coaches, the last successful being Lindy Ruff. Having stops with the Stars, Rangers, and Devils along the way, Ruff is back in Buffalo and Sabre fans are hoping he can work his magic again.
Sabres Move On From Some Important Pieces
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Buffalo has been in an embarrassing playoff drought for over a decade. With those results, some difficult decisions had to be made. The Sabres chose not to resign team captain Kyle Okposo and ten-year veteran Zemgus Girgensons. Jeff Skinner was another casualty of the drought when the club decided to buy out his contract. Not only did the team lose some talented players, but they also lost valuable leadership.
Prospects Should Start To Shine
The Buffalo Sabres Prospect Challenge finished this past weekend with a couple of first-round draft picks showing their elite skills. Isak Rosen showed why the Sabres took him 14th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. Rosen collected five assists during the three games. The 21-year-old had a solid season last year for the AHL’s Rochester Americans recording 20 goals with 30 assists.
Possibly the brightest star during the Prospect Challenge was Jiri Kulich. The 20-year-old center came away with 5 goals and 2 assists and once again caught the eyes of the Sabres’ coaches. Kulich was Buffalo’s first-round pick in the 2022 draft and 28th overall. Kulich had an excellent season for Rochester last year with a team-leading 27 goals and has a chance to make the starting lineup for the Sabres.
Trades Fit Ruff’s Style Of Hockey
The two offseason trades that the Sabres managed will upgrade the team’s bottom six forwards this year. Buffalo started by acquiring Ryan McLeod from the Edmonton Oilers. The 24-year-old center is a reliable, two-way player that has good speed. McLeod is known for his toughness and work ethic which is perfect for a Lindy Ruff coached team.
The Sabres also made a trade with the Washington Capitals for Beck Malenstyn. The 6-foot-3 200-pound left winger led the Capitals in hits and blocked shots last season. Both trade acquisitions should be a perfect fit for Ruff’s club and will be two important pieces for Buffalo throughout the season.
Free Agent Acquisitions Should Bring A New Look
While the Sabres did not make any eye-popping free agent moves this offseason, they did get some solid help and veteran leadership. The first free agent move of the summer was bringing in Sam Lafferty. The 29-year-old right winger will bring in some much-needed speed and play a physical game on both ends of the ice.
The most note-worthy free agent signing was Jason Zucker. While Zucker will turn 33 during the season, he will bring much-needed scoring and speed to the team’s third line. The left winger has had five seasons where he scored over 20 goals and is known to be one of the fastest skaters in the league. The two signings indicate the direction Ruff wants his team to go.
It’s Time To Finish The Puzzle
The Sabres continued to bring in players throughout the summer. Veteran Goalkeeper James Reimer and Defenseman Dennis Gilbert were added to the mix to help stir up the competition. Several top draft picks from the Rochester Americans will compete for roster spots as well this fall including this year’s top pick Konsta Helenius. General Manager Kevyn Adams has done an admirable job bringing in an impressive group of new faces. It is now up to Head Coach Lindy Ruff to take the pieces and finish the puzzle.
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