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Next up in our roster review #26 Matt Moulson LW (four years left at $5 million per, age 31) Buffalo 77/13/28/41/-11/4 Moulson’s is the type of underdog story that should resonate in Buffalo. A ninth-round draft pick who played four seasons at Cornell and produced good AHL numbers, Moulson was not offered a contract by the Kings after failing to catch on in the NHL during his three-year entry-level deal. They came to regret that decision after he topped the 30-goal mark each of the following three seasons with the Islanders. His relationship with the fan base should have been further cemented when he proactively sought out the Sabres last summer as a free agent. But the tank rolled through and the 13 goals Moulson produced didn’t match the $5 million a year he was making. Neither a banger, a skater, nor a stickhandler, Moulson lacks the flash necessary to grab the eye of the casual fan. But his hockey sense and his willingness to pay the price has made him a valuable complimentary piece to skilled forwards in the past. Despite his troubles last year, Ted Nolan certainly thought highly of him, continuing to feed him ice time, although not necessarily in his preferred role. While his goals were down, he led the team in assists and approached his career high in that category. With four years left on his contract, it will be interesting to see whether his scoring bounces back, given the skill this off-season has injected into the Sabre forward ranks. Links to the rest of the series:

Next up, the most expensive player in Sabre history #90 Ryan O’Reilly F (one season left at $6 million per, then 7 more at $7.5 million per, age 24) Colorado Avalanche 17/38/55/6/-5/12 Whatever your feelings are about O’Reilly – and everyone in the hockey world has them — he did accomplish something almost unheard of: he made the NHL immediately as an 18-year-old second-round draft pick. In the past four seasons O’Reilly has averaged nearly 60 points over 80 games. He doesn’t take penalties and he never gets hurt. Everyone agrees he is a fine hockey player. They divide on whether he is an elite two-way leader and complete player who can be plugged into a variety of roles and situations and excel, or a good but greedy second-line mercenary who puts his pocketbook ahead of his team and lacks the game-breaking offence to ever be considered a first-liner. The Sabres bet heavily on the former and the early returns weren’t good when he allegedly drove drunk into a Tim Horton’s within days of his acquisition. He arrives next month with a lot to prove, but definitely is a huge element in the anticipation for the coming season. Links to the rest of the series: