The 2019-2020 regular season is only a few months away, and with Jason Botterill making some moves, the roster appears to be improving. After reeling off 10 straight wins last season, the Sabres jumped into first place in the entire league.
Of course, it didn’t last long.
All they had to do was play decent hockey for the rest of the year, but instead, they fell in a hurry.
With a new season comes renewed hope, and when looking at odds to win the Stanley Cup in 2020, Buffalo fans have gotten accustomed to seeing their team near the bottom. If you look at these odds, though, there are a handful of teams below the Sabres, which is somewhat encouraging.
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What has been done?
The organization started the offseason by bringing in a new head coach. Phil Housley lasted two seasons, and now Buffalo looks to Ralph Krueger.
Jeff Skinner inked a large contract, and keeping him saved Buffalo from looking for a replacement.
The team drafted Dylan Cozens with its’ first pick of the draft.
Then, the Sabres went out and acquired forwards Jimmy Vesey and Marcus Johansson. They also brought in defenseman Colin Miller.
The Sabres also made numerous moves to help bolster the Rochester Americans lineup.
What’s the next move?
There is still more work to be done. Whether it’s through free agency or via trade, Botterill needs a bigger signing. The acquisitions have been good so far, but perhaps not big enough. Rasmus Ristolainen’s name has come up just about every day and if the Sabres can land a No. 2 center or another top winger, it might be enough to pull the trigger on a deal.
I wrote about 4 trade targets the Sabres could consider earlier this offseason and wouldn’t be surprised to see one come to life.