Buffalo Sabres Players Year In Review: Matt Moulson
Alright, now I’ll be the first person to admit that I was very hard on Matt Moulson this season. He signed a five year deal with the Buffalo Sabres last off season worth $5 million per year, and was brought in to the a consistent goal scoring threat. For the first half of the season, he did not deliver on that expectation.
Matt Moulson signed with this team, and was expected to be a leader and a goal scoring threat. His humble 13 goal tallies were far below what was expected by him. From a player that has been a consistent 25+goal scorer for his entire career, 13 goals would be unacceptable; unacceptable IF he did not contribute in some other offensive way.
He did however contribute very well as a playmaking winger on the Sabres top line. Matt Moulson led the Buffalo Sabres in assists with 28. So 13 goals and 28 assists for a total of 41 points in 77 games. That point total found him ranked second on Buffalo for points (behind Tyler Ennis). Coulson may not have had the best goal scoring season, but his playmaking ability came to light.
Playing on a line with Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons for the entirety of the season allowed him to lead the young players and set them up for success (and goals).
Matt Moulson’s first goal came early in November (which was a tough time to have not scoring), and he struggled to stay consistent with his goal scoring. Despite that, he had some pretty solid goals.
His best performance on the season was when he scored twenty second in to the game against the New York Rangers on February 20.
Coulson found his way to the best scoring position he knows; the front of the net. He stood there and took a great pass from Torrey Mitchell for a tap in goal 14 seconds into the game.
Moulson was at the front of my criticism from day one that he put on a Buffalo Sabres uniform, and since he has stuck through the past couple seasons, he has earned the respect of many Buffalo fans. He has become a solid leadership presence for a group of young players needing guidance.
With Matt Moulson on the Sabres for the next four years, we can expect his play to get better and for his numbers to increase as well. As stated before, he had 41 points in 77 games, but he also had a plus-minus of -11. For playing nearly the entire season, his possession game was not terrible.
As much as we wanted Moulson to be Thomas Vanek‘s goal scoring replacement, he has not executed completely on that, but with a new positive future ahead for the Buffalo Sabres organization, Moulson is poised and ready to prove he can put up 30 goals once again.
Having great chemistry already with leading Buffalo point scorer Tyler Ennis, Moulson is in a prime position to reach his goals and to satisfy the expectations of the fans. There is no doubt in my mind that Moulson will have a much stronger season in 2015-16.
That being said, where does he fit in to the new Buffalo Sabres equation? Matt Moulson does have the ability to be a top line winger (as was evident when he played alongside John Tavares of the New York Islanders), but will he be one for the remainder of his contract? I say yes and no to that. Moulson does possess top level skill, but as he ages, he will need to keep up with the young talent.
For next season and perhaps the season after that, Moulson will be a solid first line player, but may slide to the second left wing spot every now and again. I think he has a bright future here in Buffalo and cannot wait to see him back in the goal scoring column on a consistent basis.
What do you all think?
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