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Next up, last season's leading scorer: #63 Tyler Ennis RW (four years left at $4.6 million per, age 25) Buffalo 78/20/26/46/-19/37 It was never thought of in those terms when it happened — probably not even by management — but Tyler Ennis may have been the first asset acquired in the tank. He was taken in the 2008 draft with the 26th pick, originally San Jose’s that came to Buffalo in the Brian Campbell trade. The pick was acquired as part of a new Sabre policy of auctioning off core UFAs rather than letting them walk without compensation. Undersized and thought by some to be a gamble when he was picked, Ennis has proved detractors wrong, scoring more NHL goals than all but two players selected in his draft year. He registered 20 goals and 49 points as a rookie. Since then, he has been remarkably consistent offensively, scoring at a similar points/game rate every season, even as he was being constantly shifted through all three forward positions. Despite similar numbers, last year was considered a bit of a breakthrough by some observers, as Ennis led the team in scoring. Part of that was an impression of consistently high effort, part of it was the sense he was winning more battles and turning over the puck less, part of it was the fact he was the only payer on the team capable of consistently creating offence. Heading into this season, he seems to found a permanent home as the team’s top RW. Surprisingly, circumstances have made him a veteran who will be counted on to be a leader. Fans are speculating whether his game can grow further as the team adds more talent to the top six. Links to the rest of the series: Anders Lindback: http://forums.sabres...nders-lindback/ Pat Kaleta: http://forums.sabres...patrick-kaleta/ Johan Larsson: http://forums.sabres...-johan-larsson/ Matt Hackett: http://forums.sabres...1-matt-hackett/ Andrej Meszaros: http://forums.sabres...ndrej-meszaros/ Phil Varone, Zac Dalpe, Jerry D'Amigo: http://forums.sabres...e-dalpe-damigo/ Mikhail Grigorenko: http://forums.sabres...ail-grigorenko/ Tyson Strachan, Andre Benoit: http://forums.sabres...han-and-benoit/ Mark Pysyk: http://forums.sabres...w-3-mark-pysyk/ Tim Schaller: http://forums.sabres...9-tim-schaller/ Matt Ellis: http://forums.sabres...-37-matt-ellis/ Cody Hodgson: http://forums.sabrespace.com/topic/23431-roster-review-19-cody-hodgson/

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: