“Suffering.” The word was used three years ago by the Sabres’ disesteemed former GM Darcy Regier to mark the beginning of the rebuild. New owner Terry Pegula would soon set in motion a long overdue overhaul of the organization from top to bottom. The team began selling off the “old core” of roster players to the highest bidders. Long-time Sabres like Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek and several others were shipped out for futures, resulting in one of the worst Sabre teams in franchise history, and for that matter, in league history, too.
The fan base endured two seasons of atrocious play in hopeful anticipation of a brighter tomorrow for their beloved team. On April 10th, 2015 the light at the end of the tunnel became visible. Cam Atkinson of the Columbus Blue Jackets scored the winning goal with 10:46 remaining in the third period in a game that would secure a last place finish for the Buffalo Sabres, a necessary feat required to obtain one of the prized prospects in the upcoming draft. The organization came away with Jack Eichel, the long-awaited selection of a consensus elite talent. Sabres supporters rejoiced. The suffering was over.
Last season, the Sabres exhibited a marked improvement on the ice which resulted in a 27 point jump from the year prior. Jack Eichel played exactly as advertised, new core players like Ryan O’Reilly and Sam Reinhart became fan favorites, and GM Tim Murray’s plan began to take shape.
While the team missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season, the progress was evident. 2015-’16 served as a sort of honeymoon year for the Sabres front office. Nobody really expected a playoff run, so expectations were rather low. This coming season will serve as a much clearer indication of just how much progress has been made. The rebuild is over, it’s time to start competing for the playoffs.
The Sabres are a team that could surprise many in 2016-’17. The offseason has been relatively quiet, however, the team did come away with arguably the best free agent available. Kyle Okposo, formerly of the New York Islanders, will fill a noticeable void in the top six. The 28-year-old took notice of the Sabres’ improvement prior to signing with the team. “What sold me is the chance to win a Stanley Cup,” he said. “I think that we have a lot of pieces in play that can help us achieve that goal.” With the signing of Okposo, the core pieces are now in place on offense (especially if Tim Murray is able to sign Jimmy Vesey to a contract).
Though the Sabres’ roster is still among the youngest in the NHL, a playoff run is certainly attainable. Some fans may lament the fact that the roster will be relatively similar to last year, but the key to next season will be player progression. The evolution of sophomores Eichel and Reinhart will be paramount to the team’s playoff aspirations.
When comparing players of similar draft status to Jack Eichel, a significant scoring leap tends to take place between years one and two. Take Steven Stamkos for instance. In his rookie season Stamkos posted a mere 46 points, however in his second year as a pro, that total increased to 95 points (including 51 goals).
Now that kind of quantum leap may be a bit lofty, but players like John Tavares, Tyler Seguin and Jonathan Toews all experienced significant production boosts in their second full season at the NHL level. Eichel tallied 56 points last year which was higher than Stamkos, Toews and Seguin as rookies.
Eichel’s fellow greenhorn Sam Reinhart quietly turned in a respectable 42 points. Toward the end of the year the two played on the same line and finished their campaign with a noticeable chemistry brewing between them. Their improvement may end up being the Sabres’ biggest acquisition of the offseason.
Another key ingredient of a playoff run next season will be the health and progression of goaltender Robin Lehner. While understudies Chad Johnson and Linus Ullmark performed admirably in relief, there is no doubt that the Sabres would have benefited from a healthy Lehner. For a team whose starting goalie was injured for 60 games, being 12 points out of a playoff spot isn’t bad. It will be interesting to see if Lehner can remain on the ice, and how much it affects the Sabres’ place in the standings.
The addition of established veterans like Kyle Okposo and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will be beneficial to the Sabres’ playoff hopes, but the most important factor will be the development of young roster players. High-priced free agents are nice, but the most effective way to build a franchise is with homegrown talent, something the Sabres’ have in spades. For this reason alone, Buffalo could make another big leap forward in the eastern conference.