Another team that just needs a few more years to bake. That’s what the Jets are, that’s what the Sabres are. There a team a step or two away from being competitive, and one of the steps is allowing Eichel to mature and for their two excellent centers – Ryan O’Reilly and Jack Eichel – to develop more chemistry and to mature.
1. Staying Healthy/New Trainers
Who wasn’t hurt this year for the Sabres? O’Reilly missed ten games. Their number one goalie, who they traded a ton for, only played 21 games. Evander Kane missed twenty games.
To get back into the division, the Sabres need all hands on deck, especially Lehner, because he could be very good if he stays healthy, and they shouldn’t have to rely upon back up goaltender Chad Johnson the entire time. They also don’t need a permanent fix for their goaltending – Lehner should be that fix. Johnson is a great backup in this league. He needs to be re-signed but that’s about it.
Having a new training staff more able to keep the Sabres on their feet and get them back up faster will be huge for the Sabres. Again, if this team is healthy they are dangerous.
2. Solving the Defense
This was a team where nearly every player had a negative +/-. That needs to change and quickly, and with both Lehner’s and Johnson’s GAA and SV, it’s not all on them. This team is paying Zach Bogosian and Josh Gorges to be their top pairing, and that’s a fine decision. It’s when it comes to depth that the Sabres get into trouble.
They have a good third defenseman (needing a re-sign) in Rasmus Ristolainen, but then their defense abruptly ends. If they were able to roll each of these defensemen thirty minutes a night like the Blackhawks tried to do, they may be fine, but they can’t. Ristolainen? Sure, maybe. But Bogosian is currently hurt and will be a while before he’s able to go thirty. Gorges is over thirty and is not nor will ever be Drew Doughty or Duncan Keith in terms of iron-man ability.
They need to go out and find some defensive depth. While other teams are focused on getting top four, the Sabres need to find targets for their bottom pairing and doggedly pursue them. They need a five and six, not a three or four, and they should be able to find them.
3. Re-Signing Mode
The Sabres are another team with a ton of players hitting free agency, though most will be restricted. A list of these players: David Legwand, Marcus Foligno, All Star Zemgus Girgensons (the OG John Scott story), and Nicolas Deslauriers, then all the young defensemen, including Jake McCabe and Rasmus Ristolainen, and also Johnson and Jason Kasdorf, both backup goaltenders for the Sabres.
This is a team that needs to figure out who to bring back, because they need to bring back people. Their core is the only thing signed long term, and they need to fix that. Ristolainen and McCabe should be the middle pairing, Girgensons figures to be a long term solution in the bottom 6 for the Sabres, and Foligno was one of the rare positive +/- for the Sabres. The team can get younger by letting a few players like Legwand walk away, and they have Sam Reinhart who can help with center depth, but they need good wings and they need to re-sign their own free agents before hitting the market.
Really, the only good wing prospect the Sabres have is Josh Bailey, so they need all the wing help they can get.
4. Another Evander Kane
On every good team, there are two great wings. Name any team and I can give you those wings. Look at the still standing playoff teams, and all of them have more than just two. The Sharks have Pavelski, Joel Ward, and Tomas Hertl. The Penguins have Kessel, Hagelin, and Chris Kunitz. The Lightning have Drouin, Palat, and Kucherov. The Blues have Steen, Tarasenko, and Brouwer. With the Sabres I can only name one – Evander Kane. And again, he was hurt. That’s something the Sabres will need to solve if they want to improve.
They need to find talent on the wing and develop them for their system, because having the best center depth in the world won’t help you if that’s all you have. Having elite wings also attacking gives you an edge, because you don’t know where the goals will come from. There will be wing talent available this year, and while it’s ill-advised for the Sabres to chase someone like Radim Vrbata, someone like Milan Lucic or Loui Eriksson will be a huge addition, and one that could help lift them from the bottom of the division to a serious contender – sooner rather than later. Hell, with the Pegulas willing to spend money, why not chase the dragon and go for two?
Also, the veteran experience that a new wing could add is huge for the Sabres, because they are a very young team, and could be losing their captain Brian Gionta next year. Someone like Andrew Ladd could be a bridge captain until a time where it is felt Eichel (or O’Reilly) has matured enough.