As the Buffalo Sabres prepare for the upcoming 2014-2015 NHL season, one question that may be on some people’s minds: who will be the captain? The Sabres have had many captains over the years and at some point, it seems to be almost a jinxed title. Just look at Steve Ott and Thomas Vanek, last year’s co-captains, both gone from Buffalo now. Heck, even one of the alternate captains is gone, with Christian Ehrhoff signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. But times are changing in Buffalo, the rebuild continues and it’s time to name a new captain — maybe even one who can last longer than a season.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be proposing several different candidates for the Sabres captaincy. In the end, it could be one of these guys, it could be someone completely different, or the team might elect to go without a captain – but here are my ideas.
The first player I’d like to propose for the captaincy of the Buffalo Sabres is center Cody Hodgson.
At 24, Hodgson is neither the youngest nor the oldest player on the Sabres, but he’s already got a few years of NHL experience under his belt and has proven himself to be one of the top players on the Sabres roster.
Acquired from Vancouver in exchange for gritty forward Zack Kassian, Hodgson came to Buffalo in February 2012 and has put up productive numbers ever since.
In 20 games with the Sabres after his trade that season, Hodgson put up eight points in 20 games. Add that on to his Canucks totals for 41 points in 83 games.
His first “full” season with Buffalo, of course, wasn’t even a full season. Instead, it was the lockout season, which saw Hodgson start off the year in the AHL.
Hodgson hadn’t played in the AHL for over a season, but he fit right into the Amerks lineup. He averaged a point-per-game, scoring five goals and adding 14 assists for 19 points in as many games.
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When the lockout ended, he joined the Sabres to score 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points in 48 games. He was second on the team across the board in scoring, behind only Thomas Vanek, and it seemed like he had no trouble finding his niche on the Sabres’ roster.
This past season, then, was Hodgson’s first REAL full season with the Buffalo Sabres organization. Arguably one of the team’s top centers, he finished the season atop the Sabres’ scorers with 44 points in 72 games. His 20 goals were second on the team behind Tyler Ennis (21) and he led the team with 24 assists. He also had nine power-play goals on the season and 182 shots (3rd-most on the Sabres). His 11.00 shot percentage was one of the highest on the team and highest of any of the big contributors in Buffalo.
Aside from the upcoming spot of Sam Reinhart, Hodgson is the highest-drafted player on the Sabres roster, having been selected 10th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2008. (The Sabres later picked Tyler Myers at 14th and Tyler Ennis at 26th that year).
A Toronto native, he now has over 210 games of NHL experience and most importantly, has proven himself to be a solid worker on the Sabres’ roster. He’s still young, so he has plenty of his career ahead of him, and he’s signed on with the Sabres for five more seasons. Could he become the new captain of the Buffalo Sabres?