‘There were ominous signs for the Buffalo Sabres entering the 2008-09 season. Oft injured center Tim Connolly cracked two vertebrae during the preseason. Fellow centerman Paul Gaustad soon after hit the injured reserve after damaging a ligament in his right thumb following a preseason fight. Then two games into the season, winger-turned-center Jochen Hecht followed suit when he broke a finger trying to block a puck with his hand.’