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Buffalo Sabres Leaders: Who Will They Be?

By Jacob D. Strozyk

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With a newfound sense of team pride flowing through the Buffalo Sabres organization, the burden of being a leader on this team is lifting. The past couple of years, the Captaincy and the desire to be a leader were both a joke and seemingly pointless. As the team now transitions to a winning culture, the time to show who is the true leader is now.

Related – Can Eichel Capture Calder Trophy?

Last season, Brian Gionta was brought in through free agency and he was named captain for his efforts with the young players. Throughout the season, however, the weight of the “C” seemed to be crippling him. He felt he was failing his team by being unable to unify them enough to string together some wins. Rest assured Gionta, your efforts were not in vain, and now this year you can truly show off your stuff.

The season just before being on the Buffalo Sabres, Gionta had led the Montreal Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Finals before being beaten by the New York Rangers, and Gionta was a great leadership presence in that span, so he does have a proven pedigree. That’s one of the reasons Brian Gionta will be a key leader for the Sabres next season.

Brian Gionta is a former 40+ goal scorer (back in his hay day) and he has the ability to mentor the younger scoring forwards that are going to be one the team like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. He is defensively responsible, but also has a keen eye for scoring goals at the right times. Towards the end of last season, Gionta surged to the top of the Sabres scoring list to finish third. It seemed like despite the season wearing on his nerves, he found some spark of life and had a new fire to win. I’m counting on him bringing that fire into this season.

I always feel like there should be three kinds of leaders on an NHL team, the first being the veteran presence that keeps the young players calm and cool, the younger up and coming player to provide a youthful spark, and the defensive mind that will hold down the blue line. Gionta is the veteran.

For the player that will be the youthful spark (This choice did not take much thought) I am gong to go with Zemgus Girgensons.

Even though Jack Eichel is the new franchise player, there is a unique quality in Zemgus Girgensons that just is unmatched by any other player on the Buffalo Sabres Roster. Girgensons has been the biggest source of energy whenever the Sabres are in a funk or some other kind of short term jam. He never stops working and he is always giving it his all. A player like that is hard to come by, and it’s one of the reasons that Zemgus will be a key leader for Buffalo next season.

Girgensons proved last year that he can be an offensive catalyst if he needs to be. He improved on his finishing ability around the net, and he developed a chemistry with the Sabres top point producer Tyler Ennis. With a mind like a freight train, Girgensons can do anything that is asked of him. He played on the power play, penalty kill, and the first line at even strength.

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Throw away the fact that he was former coach Ted Nolan‘s favorite player and focus on the fact that Girgensons will do what is asked of him and then excel at it no matter the cost. This is a player that hates losing more than most things. He is also exceptionally hard on himself in order to make himself better. That kind of attitude and energy will surge through the Sabres bench next year.

The third kind of leader that I always look for is the Defensive mind that will hold down the blue line. After some careful choosing for this one, I’m going to go with Zach Bogosian.

After the trade that found Bogosian and Evander Kane on their way to Buffalo, it only took a couple of minutes for Bogosian to make his mark with the team and the fans. He started off his first game with a huge hit and it fired up the fans. They had finally gotten the defenseman they had wanted out of Tyler Myers, but never could get.

Bogosian has had some injury issues through his first few seasons and his confidence seemed to be suffering in Winnipeg, but his entrance into Buffalo seemed like a rebirth for him. He is a physical two way defenseman with a bomb for a shot and the ability to stand against top level talents. Those are the reasons he is my choice for the defensive leader.

I chose Bogosian over Ristolainen for the sake of experience and overall confidence over the past year, production has nothing to do with it. Bogosian has been in the league longer and can provide a steady bolster from the back end.

So why not pick Josh Gorges you may ask. I almost did, but Gorges slipped off my choosing for the sake that he was not able to play at the top level he was in Montreal. Gorges is a top four kind of defender, while Bogosian can play on a top two role comfortably. While they both have admirable qualities, it is the the rounded game of Bogosian that gives him the edge. He can provide offense if needed, hold down the defensive end, and throw a big hit to sway some momentum for his team.

Now, the captains last year were Gionta, Moulson, and Gorges. My choices for the leaders of his team do not mean that the “A”‘s and “C” have to change hands, but they merely say who I believe will have the most impact on the team for the respective reasons I chose. As far as where the Sabres want to go, and how these three players performed last year, I have no doubt in my mind that they will succeed as the team leaders.

Next: Sam Reinhart's Place On the Sabres

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