‘Of the NHL’s worst teams last season — and the Sabres qualify, considering they finished in the Atlantic cellar for the third time in four years — Buffalo has maybe the most promising “it” factor. Combine Eichel’s potential as a top-tier center with more production from Kane and a couple of fresh faces for depth on a better stocked defense, and add Housley’s blue-line instruction from the Nashville Predators and Botterill’s get-it-done approach from an organization like the Penguins, and you have a team that sounds a whole lot like it is on the rise.’