BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan
06-16-2007, 07:54 PM
http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20061221/sabres_82007.jpg
After a dominant regular season, the Buffalo Sabres' semi-final loss to the Ottawa Senators was a heartbreaking end to what had been a sensational year.
GM/COACH
Darcy Regier/Lindy Ruff
Returning Forwards
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Maxim Afinogenov 80.29 $3.5M
Jason Pominville 78.54 $925K
Jochen Hecht 73.61 $2.35M
Drew Stafford 70.25 $984K
Tim Connolly 66.80 $3.0M
Ales Kotalik 66.62 $2.5M
Paul Gaustad 66.60 $750K
Free Agent Forwards
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Thomas Vanek 85.22 RFA
Daniel Briere 82.38 UFA
Chris Drury 78.63 UFA
Derek Roy 76.11 RFA
Dainius Zubrus 67.09 UFA
Dan Paille 63.68 RFA
Adam Mair 59.50 UFA
Andrew Peters 54.52 RFA
Top Prospects: Clarke MacArthur, Mark Mancari, Marek Zagrapan
Two of the biggest free agent fish in the pond are Sabres centres Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. While the Sabres obviously don't want to lose them, the remaining group of forwards is deep and talented enough to be the basis for a competitive team.
After an underachieving rookie campaign, Thomas Vanek started to show his star power in Year Two, scoring 43 goals and leading the league with a plus-47. Vanek needs to bring it more consistently, but he has the kind of skills to embarrass opposing defencemen.
Maxim Afinogenov is another Sabres game-breaker, but a wrist injury hindered him late in the season. Afinogenov has rare skills when he gets carrying the puck at high speed and he's starting to show the drive that allows his production to be commensurate with his ability.
Often skating in the middle with Vanek and Afinogenov, Derek Roy has improved steadily in three NHL seasons. He's a bit of a pest, who takes the occasional dive, but Roy is also a decent playmaker who adds energy.
Jason Pominville has proven to be a legitimate NHL scorer, tallying 34 goals in his second season. While it didn't hurt any to play with Briere, Pominville's nose for the net should mean goal production with any offensively-capable linemates.
Veteran Jochen Hecht is an underrated two-way forward, who scored a career-best 56 points last season. Hecht plays such a well-rounded game and he's an excellent complement to more offensively-inclined linemates.
Called up midway through the season, Drew Stafford didn't look out of place at all. A winger with scoring potential, Stafford should see his role evolve further next season.
Hard-shooting winger Ales Kotalik was a bust, putting up only 38 points after scoring 62 the year before, so he could be expendable if the Sabres can find a taker.
Big centre Paul Gaustad made a lot of progress in his second season, though an ankle injury halted the progress late in the season. On a team with quite a few smaller forwards, Gaustad's size is valuable.
Dan Paille is a blue-collar winger, who fared well as an injury replacement. Paille doesn't have great touch around the net, but he won't hesitate to work the corners.
A wildcard performer for the Sabres is centre Tim Connolly, who missed 80 of 82 regular season games while recovering from another concussion. He did play all 16 playoff games and, while he didn't score a goal, he proved that he still has soft hands and playmaking skills. If Drury or Briere move on, Connolly will need to step in and fill the void. The good news is that, when healthy, he possesses that kind of skill level.
Andrew Peters is a one-dimensional enforcer. He'll presumably be back, at least for regular season action. A few more gritty forwards for the third and fourth line could be all the Sabres really need when they go off-season shopping.
Returning Defencemen
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Brian Campbell 79.46 $1.75M
Dmitri Kalinin 73.89 $2.25M
Jaroslav Spacek 70.81 $3.48M
Toni Lydman 70.20 $2.9M
Henrik Tallinder 68.42 $2.5M
Free Agent Defencemen
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Teppo Numminen 71.52 UFA
Nathan Paetsch 71.38 RFA
Top Prospects: Andrej Sekera, Michael Funk, Mike Weber
Buffalo has thrived the last couple of seasons with defence that wouldn't quite qualify as no-name, but it is a group that could use a real workhorse to lead the unit.
Brian Campbell is the most dynamic presence on the Sabres blueline, using his tremendous speed to create chances on the attack. Campbell continues to get better in his own end as well, and he garners more ice time as a result.
Dmitri Kalinin still seems to be an underachiever because he can't stay consistently focused, and he ends up on the pine as a result, but he could have value if the Sabres were to shop him.
Expected to be a prominent part of the defence corps after being signed as a free agent, Jaroslav Spacek's 21-point season was his lowest total since 2001-2002. At the same time, his plus-20 mark was a career-best, so it's not like the season was a total washout either.
The defensive pairing of Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder was thought to be on its way as a shutdown pairing after a strong showing in the 2006 playoffs, but they quite take the next step.
Lydman does throw himself into the defensive role, blocking shots and playing the body, but his effectiveness comes and goes.
Tallinder has the makings of a top-tier defensive defenceman. He's big, strong, mobile and willing to sacrifice, but he missed 35 games with injuries. If healthy he could be in for a big season next year.
Injuries opened the door for Nathan Paetsch on the blueline and he performed, adding mobility and puck skills to the group. Depending on what acquisitions are made, Paetsch could see additional ice time next season.
Teppo Numminen still averaged more than 20 minutes per game as a 38 year-old, so he could certainly play again next season if he still has the desire. After 1300 career games, though, the Finn might be ready to hang 'em up.
On the free agent front, the Sabres could find that Scott Hannan or Andy Sutton might provide a physical element that was missing after Jay McKee left for St. Louis.
Returning Goaltenders
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Ryan Miller 78.71 $2.5M
Free Agent Goaltenders
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Ty Conklin 45.43 UFA
Top Prospects: Jhonas Enroth
Ryan Miller has already established himself as one of the game's best and brightest young goaltenders. He's durable, intense and just entering his prime.
While Martin Biron was overqualified to be the rarely-used backup in Buffalo, the Sabres may find that they need an upgrade on Ty Conklin, who has struggled to stick in the NHL the past two seasons.
DRAFT
No first-round pick
FREE AGENCY
The Sabres have approximately $29-million committed to salaries for next season.
Needs: One top six forward, backup goaltender
TRADE MARKET
Kotalik, Spacek, Kalinin, prospects
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=210983&hubname=
After a dominant regular season, the Buffalo Sabres' semi-final loss to the Ottawa Senators was a heartbreaking end to what had been a sensational year.
GM/COACH
Darcy Regier/Lindy Ruff
Returning Forwards
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Maxim Afinogenov 80.29 $3.5M
Jason Pominville 78.54 $925K
Jochen Hecht 73.61 $2.35M
Drew Stafford 70.25 $984K
Tim Connolly 66.80 $3.0M
Ales Kotalik 66.62 $2.5M
Paul Gaustad 66.60 $750K
Free Agent Forwards
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Thomas Vanek 85.22 RFA
Daniel Briere 82.38 UFA
Chris Drury 78.63 UFA
Derek Roy 76.11 RFA
Dainius Zubrus 67.09 UFA
Dan Paille 63.68 RFA
Adam Mair 59.50 UFA
Andrew Peters 54.52 RFA
Top Prospects: Clarke MacArthur, Mark Mancari, Marek Zagrapan
Two of the biggest free agent fish in the pond are Sabres centres Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. While the Sabres obviously don't want to lose them, the remaining group of forwards is deep and talented enough to be the basis for a competitive team.
After an underachieving rookie campaign, Thomas Vanek started to show his star power in Year Two, scoring 43 goals and leading the league with a plus-47. Vanek needs to bring it more consistently, but he has the kind of skills to embarrass opposing defencemen.
Maxim Afinogenov is another Sabres game-breaker, but a wrist injury hindered him late in the season. Afinogenov has rare skills when he gets carrying the puck at high speed and he's starting to show the drive that allows his production to be commensurate with his ability.
Often skating in the middle with Vanek and Afinogenov, Derek Roy has improved steadily in three NHL seasons. He's a bit of a pest, who takes the occasional dive, but Roy is also a decent playmaker who adds energy.
Jason Pominville has proven to be a legitimate NHL scorer, tallying 34 goals in his second season. While it didn't hurt any to play with Briere, Pominville's nose for the net should mean goal production with any offensively-capable linemates.
Veteran Jochen Hecht is an underrated two-way forward, who scored a career-best 56 points last season. Hecht plays such a well-rounded game and he's an excellent complement to more offensively-inclined linemates.
Called up midway through the season, Drew Stafford didn't look out of place at all. A winger with scoring potential, Stafford should see his role evolve further next season.
Hard-shooting winger Ales Kotalik was a bust, putting up only 38 points after scoring 62 the year before, so he could be expendable if the Sabres can find a taker.
Big centre Paul Gaustad made a lot of progress in his second season, though an ankle injury halted the progress late in the season. On a team with quite a few smaller forwards, Gaustad's size is valuable.
Dan Paille is a blue-collar winger, who fared well as an injury replacement. Paille doesn't have great touch around the net, but he won't hesitate to work the corners.
A wildcard performer for the Sabres is centre Tim Connolly, who missed 80 of 82 regular season games while recovering from another concussion. He did play all 16 playoff games and, while he didn't score a goal, he proved that he still has soft hands and playmaking skills. If Drury or Briere move on, Connolly will need to step in and fill the void. The good news is that, when healthy, he possesses that kind of skill level.
Andrew Peters is a one-dimensional enforcer. He'll presumably be back, at least for regular season action. A few more gritty forwards for the third and fourth line could be all the Sabres really need when they go off-season shopping.
Returning Defencemen
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Brian Campbell 79.46 $1.75M
Dmitri Kalinin 73.89 $2.25M
Jaroslav Spacek 70.81 $3.48M
Toni Lydman 70.20 $2.9M
Henrik Tallinder 68.42 $2.5M
Free Agent Defencemen
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Teppo Numminen 71.52 UFA
Nathan Paetsch 71.38 RFA
Top Prospects: Andrej Sekera, Michael Funk, Mike Weber
Buffalo has thrived the last couple of seasons with defence that wouldn't quite qualify as no-name, but it is a group that could use a real workhorse to lead the unit.
Brian Campbell is the most dynamic presence on the Sabres blueline, using his tremendous speed to create chances on the attack. Campbell continues to get better in his own end as well, and he garners more ice time as a result.
Dmitri Kalinin still seems to be an underachiever because he can't stay consistently focused, and he ends up on the pine as a result, but he could have value if the Sabres were to shop him.
Expected to be a prominent part of the defence corps after being signed as a free agent, Jaroslav Spacek's 21-point season was his lowest total since 2001-2002. At the same time, his plus-20 mark was a career-best, so it's not like the season was a total washout either.
The defensive pairing of Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder was thought to be on its way as a shutdown pairing after a strong showing in the 2006 playoffs, but they quite take the next step.
Lydman does throw himself into the defensive role, blocking shots and playing the body, but his effectiveness comes and goes.
Tallinder has the makings of a top-tier defensive defenceman. He's big, strong, mobile and willing to sacrifice, but he missed 35 games with injuries. If healthy he could be in for a big season next year.
Injuries opened the door for Nathan Paetsch on the blueline and he performed, adding mobility and puck skills to the group. Depending on what acquisitions are made, Paetsch could see additional ice time next season.
Teppo Numminen still averaged more than 20 minutes per game as a 38 year-old, so he could certainly play again next season if he still has the desire. After 1300 career games, though, the Finn might be ready to hang 'em up.
On the free agent front, the Sabres could find that Scott Hannan or Andy Sutton might provide a physical element that was missing after Jay McKee left for St. Louis.
Returning Goaltenders
Player TSN.ca Rating Salary
Ryan Miller 78.71 $2.5M
Free Agent Goaltenders
Player TSN.ca Rating Class
Ty Conklin 45.43 UFA
Top Prospects: Jhonas Enroth
Ryan Miller has already established himself as one of the game's best and brightest young goaltenders. He's durable, intense and just entering his prime.
While Martin Biron was overqualified to be the rarely-used backup in Buffalo, the Sabres may find that they need an upgrade on Ty Conklin, who has struggled to stick in the NHL the past two seasons.
DRAFT
No first-round pick
FREE AGENCY
The Sabres have approximately $29-million committed to salaries for next season.
Needs: One top six forward, backup goaltender
TRADE MARKET
Kotalik, Spacek, Kalinin, prospects
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=210983&hubname=