Dobber’s Offseason Fantasy Grades: Buffalo Sabres
Dobber
2015-08-07
Dobber's offseason fantasy hockey grades – Buffalo Sabres
For the last 12 years over at The Hockey News, I have reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them. Now that I am no longer with THN, my 13th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey.
Enjoy!
Gone – Andre Benoit, Tyson Strachan, Cody Hodgson, Zac Dalpe, Matt Hackett, Anders Lindback, JT Compher, Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Zadorov, Matt Ellis, Patrick Kaleta, Andrej Meszaros, Ted Nolan (Coach)
Incoming – Carlo Colaiacovo, Matt Donovan, Jason Akeson, Cal O'Reilly, Robin Lehner, David Legwand, Ryan O'Reilly, Jamie McGinn, Dan Bylsma (Coach)…and special guest, the wunderkind – Jack Eichel
Impact of changes – Well, a Cup-winning coach, a future superstar, a stud two-way center, a top goal-scoring power winger and a new No.1 goalie will probably combine to make a bit of an impact, wouldn't you say?
The Sabres were dead last in 2014-15 when they averaged 1.87 goals per game. That's like Dominik Hasek's goals against average back when he was winning Hart Trophies. The team had two 40-point players last year and just four 25-point players. This year they will have five players with 50 points or more, mark my words. And Eichel should flirt with 65, even on this team. The power play was an ugly 13.4%. Just a bump to 16.5% would make all the difference.
Defensively, they'll still have their trials and tribulations (29th last year). But scoring goals won't be quite the issue anymore.
Ready for full-time – Eichel needs no introduction. The second overall pick this summer will make this team and, from his spot on the second line, he'll lead it in scoring.
Sam Reinhart was last year's second overall pick. But make no mistake – he's no Jack Eichel. In fact, he's not even a Jonathan Drouin. People cite a logjam at center in Buffalo, and that only makes the decision easier. Reinhart will go back to junior. If he sticks, it will because he earned it in camp (and somebody will lose their job or get traded). So if he sticks, expect upwards of 45 to 50 points.
Johan Larsson finished last season as the top center on the team, gelling with Tyler Ennis and Matt Moulson and posting 13 points in the last 17 games (which is quite a clip on a team like the Sabres). But then one fine day in June (or maybe it was over two days?), they went and acquired Eichel (draft), O'Reilly (trade) and Legwand (trade). Now Larsson is off a scoring line and probably moved to the wing.
Jake McCabe is adapting well to the pro game, but probably needs a half season in the AHL yet. Look for a midseason call up and maybe 15 points in 35 or 40 games.
Chad Ruhwedel is now 25 and in a make-or-break year. Is he a career AHLer? He led Rochester defensemen in scoring with 36 points in 72 games and he has seen a few cups of coffee with the Sabres. The team also lacks puck-moving defensemen to help their dismal power play. I have him playing more than half the season in Buffalo and getting at least 20 points.
Jason Akeson made a big splash with the Flyers despite having never been drafted. He got in a game at the end of the 2013-14 season and then proceeded to impress through seven games in the playoffs. A spot was his last year. But a terrible start to the season (and camp) had him back in the AHL where he posted nearly a point per game for Lehigh Valley. Like Ruhwedel, he is 25 and in a make-or-break situation. But unlike with Ruhwedel, the Sabres have less of a need for his skill set. A long shot.
Fantasy Outlook – The Sabres are on the rise, but are still missing many pieces. They have a few good players in the pipeline, but fewer than the average NHL team. Still, with a player like Eichel as the centerpiece, it's appealing for keeper league owners to pick up a few Sabres.
Fantasy Grade: C+ (last year was D+)
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Offseason Fantasy Grades: Anaheim Ducks
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Offseason Fantasy Grades: Boston Bruins
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There is less than a 1% chance that Sam Reinhart returns to the WHL for a 5th season. If he does not make the Sabres than he will play in AHL this year. He is old enough and already has 4 WHL seasons so there are no restrictions on his ability to play there for the upcoming season.
Less than 1%? I could be wrong, but I think with a November birthday he is not eligible for the AHL. I tried to quickly dig it up to see if December is the cut off (I think I did dig that up when I wrote this back in July)
How is there possibly no mention of evander kane…
I discuss players who are about to graduate, and then summarize the fantasy outlook of the team at a very high level. I could have mentioned Kane, but I don't always mention the team's stars in these outlooks if you've been reading them at all over the last 13 years. I'm not going to give an outlook of the 10 best players on each team, that would make these articles impossible to do for 30 teams when you consider that I also write a fantasy guide with all that information in there.
Was looking forward to the buffalo review but it's so off base I am really disappointed. The two previous comments are spot on and you also missed Tyler Myers leaving and Zachary bogosian coming in. Wrong information and weak analysis.
Sorry to disappoint, Adam. I was doing an off-season analysis and you were looking forward to a 2014-15 review. Myers left a long time ago – did you want the impact of Drury and Briere leaving as well? ;)
You should double-check the definition of "wrong information"
No Evander Kane? Bogosian? Pretty weak analysis.
Bogosian and Kane weren't offseason additions. Pretty weak comment.
I love all the 'witty' replies to your readers who were just letting you know they felt this article was a little sparse, even if they could have expressed it better … it wasn't personal …
Thank you. My witty replies aren’t personal either and I love the ‘pub style’ arguments
I'll just re-iterate the point of these articles:
1. To give you a quick lowdown on the prospects on the cusp
2. To give you a high-level feel for how this team is put together and how it will perform offensively over the next several years.
It is not to give props to each star on the team, or give each player you own a pat on the back. If you are looking for something more in-depth, there are 100s of articles and rankings on this site, as well as a Fantasy Guide and Prospects Report. With that in mind, enjoy the light reading of the rest of the team-by-teams still to come! Thank you