NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres

Charlie Boccanegra thinks a new owner can mean a new beginning for the Buffalo Sabres.

When Terry Pegula purchased the Buffalo Sabres last season the future became extremely bright. The passionate billionaire is willing to spend whatever it takes to produce a Stanley Cup. Prior to his arrival the organization had some great young talent but Pegula’s backing now means GM Darcy Regier was able to add some much needed pieces in the offseason to make Buffalo a legitimate cup contender.

At 20/1 the Sabres are worth a strong look to win the Stanley Cup. Better yet are the 10/1 odds offered to win the Eastern Conference. I am not particularly interested in the NHL betting line of +150 to win the Northeast Division nor the season point total at 98.5.

The reason being that the Sabres may struggle a bit during the regular season due to working all these new players into the system, developing some chemistry. Furthermore, this team is built for the playoffs. The regular season does not hold much relevance in winning the Stanley Cup; it’s just a matter of getting into the playoffs and taking it from there.

It all starts in net for Buffalo with Ryan Miller, one of the best goalies in the game. Two years ago he won the Vezina trophy; last season took a bit of a step back. I expect Miller to rebound and come back hungrier then ever. Miller has proven more than capable in the past of single handedly stealing games even if the team in front of him isn’t playing well.

This year the defense will be much improved with the additions of Christian Ehrhoff & Robyn Regehr. Each complements the other, Ehrhoff being more offensively minded and Regehr favoring defense. Throw in one of the best young defenseman in Tyler Myers who continues to improve the Sabres have one of the best 1-3 defenseman in the league. In addition, they have pretty good depth rounding out the back end with Leopold, Sekera and Gragnani.

Offensively the Sabres will always remain underrated because they don’t have a marquee superstar. But, they are laced with tremendous depth and two of the most underrated quiet stars in Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek. Both have battled injuries the past couple of years but if they can remain healthy look for them to have huge seasons.

Joining them is a good supporting cast with Pommonville who is capable of being a 1st line player, along with two very skilled youngsters in Tyler Ennis and newly signed free agent Ville Leino. It is also a great luxury to have the skill of players like Drew Stafford and Jochen Hecht slated to play on the third line.

I will be looking to support the Sabres every time they are underdogs this year due to their pesky style of play. Especially when it comes to the playoffs when they may be an undervalued commodity if they don’t have a great regular season trying to work out some of the kinks implementing the new players into the system.