Larry Playfair Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/story/8790788/1 Buffalo Sabres: Much like the Wild, the Sabres emerged from the lockout with a pared-down payroll that left them with the opportunity to get better in a hurry. Instead, they let their top two players, right wing Miroslav Satan and Alexei Zhitnik, leave for the New York Islanders without replacing them with anyone of equal skill. Owner Tom Golisano says he's happy with the way his hockey people have handled things, but the reaction from the team's long-suffering fans hasn't been so positive. And in a market that has struggled as much as Buffalo has in recent years, that's not a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggPDaddy Posted September 2, 2005 Report Share Posted September 2, 2005 Spending money doesn't mean you're destined to win, ala NYR. I am disappointed that they weren't able to bring in an equal replacement to Zhitnik or even resign him, but Satan had no future here. He caused too many problems during the last season and was too streaky. He played when he wanted. They are going to bank on Vanek repeating what he did in the AHL last year to replace Satan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deluca67 Posted September 3, 2005 Report Share Posted September 3, 2005 Spending money doesn't mean you're destined to win, ala NYR. I am disappointed that they weren't able to bring in an equal replacement to Zhitnik or even resign him, but Satan had no future here. He caused too many problems during the last season and was too streaky. He played when he wanted. They are going to bank on Vanek repeating what he did in the AHL last year to replace Satan. Considering Vanek won't have line-mates to maximize his skills. It's a safe bet he won't come close to what he did in the AHL. If he scores 20 with this team and this coach he will be lucky. Ruff will be benching him for not back checking by the second month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted September 3, 2005 Report Share Posted September 3, 2005 I doubt that they are counting on Vanek to score 40 goals this year. Considering he's a rookie with a ton of potential, I don't think 25 is out of the question. My gut feel is he will probably score 20 - 22. I think they are counting on Briere to have a very strong year and some combination of Dumont, Hecht, Afinogenov, and Kotalik to step up goal production. I would be surprised if Briere gets less than 30 this year and would not be surprised to see him near 40. If the others can get ~30 and Drury chip in ~25, that would get them to somewhere between 150 and 180 goals from their top 6 scorers. In 2003-'04, the top six got them 123 goals, and the team as a whole got 220. The team was 9th in scoring last time they played. Their problem was they were tied for 21st in goals against. Losing Zhitnik's 30 minutes per game against the other team's top line will hurt. I am more concerned with their defense than their offense. If we still had Zhitnik to go with the additions of Numminen and and Lydman, I'd be pretty happy with the D. I think the season will be made or broken in the 1st half. If Biron is the starter, he has to shake his 1st half funk. If he isn't, is Ryan or Mika up to the challenge of getting the team off to a good start? If not, say hello to another late season surge to 9th or 10th spot. If they can stay in contention during the 1st half, I think they will play well enough to secure a spot in the playoffs in the second half. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Playfair Posted September 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2005 Good analysis Dave B. Thanks. I feel good about things too, and although a splash in FA would have been sweet, I'm happy to play this year out and see what the ref's do re: obstruction, and how our team handles itself - considering the post-January run we had 2 years ago. The goalie situation HAS to be resolved through, and one of those 3 must step up and take the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted September 3, 2005 Report Share Posted September 3, 2005 The goalie situation HAS to be resolved through, and one of those 3 must step up and take the job. Agreed. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted September 3, 2005 Report Share Posted September 3, 2005 I feel good about things too, and although a splash in FA would have been sweet, I'm happy to play this year out and see what the ref's do re: obstruction, and how our team handles itself - considering the post-January run we had 2 years ago. To me, it looks like right now, they want to see what the kids can do. They've left themselves plenty of room to make a few moves at the trade deadline or next year, once they have a feel for what the young guys bring to the NHL level. Yes, I wouldn't have minded if they went out and signed a few guys, but I can live with what we have right now because the future looks pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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