The Buffalo Sabres may still have a move or two left to make before the start of the 2016-2017 season, but let’s hypothesize what the starting roster could look like on opening day.
It’s probable that if you’re reading this article you have most likely seen your fair share of roster predictions for the Buffalo Sabres. Many of these predictions include the addition of Jimmy Vesey or various other players that we have acquired via some type of theorized trade that has yet to happen. I figured I would give this topic a whirl, however my prediction for the 2016-2017 Sabres will strictly be on the players we have available to us today. I also intend on providing some rationale on why I feel this is how the line-up will look for the first game of the season.
Now, before getting started on listing out the projected line-up… I want to take a moment to thank everyone who took the time to listen to the podcast that my friend Nick and I created focused on the Buffalo Sabres. We intend on hosting another podcast session in the near future, if anyone is interested in providing some feedback or topics to focus on that would be much appreciated.
Forwards:
Evander Kane–Ryan O’Reilly–Kyle Okposo
Marcus Foligno–Jack Eichel–Sam Reinhart
Tyler Ennis–Zemgus Girgensons–Justin Bailey
Matt Moulson–Johan Larsson–Brian Gionta
*Nic Deslauriers
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The top line of Kane-O’Reilly-Okposo would be very hard to play against with the ability to rack up some significant point totals. If Kane’s legal troubles cause him to miss some games to start the season, I could see Ennis taking the top LW slot with the potential for Nylander to play opening night on the 2nd or 3rd line.
I was really tempted to put Kane on a line with Eichel and Reinhart, however I steered away from this option primarily due to his shoot first, pass second mentality. In my opinion Jack Eichel has the best wrist shot on the entire team, and I would prefer to give him a higher number of shooting chances. I’m intrigued by the idea of placing Foligno on our 2nd line with Eichel and Reinhart. My thoughts on this is that he will be able to help win some puck battles in the corners, plus provide a physical presence to deter opposing teams from taking liberties with our star young players.
The third line put together above should bring to the table exactly what Tim Murray is looking for… speed & skill. All three of these players have good skating ability, Girgensons & Bailey have solid straight line speed while Ennis offers shiftiness and agility.
I hate to put Moulson on the fourth line, especially with the contract he has. Unfortunately barring any injuries I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start the season on this line. It could be possible that Moulson and Foligno switch spots, however he doesn’t bring the physical presence I would like to see on a line with Eichel & Reinhart. Larsson and Girgensons could potentially be swapped, but in this case I’m giving Girgensons the benefit of the doubt that he has the ability to improve upon his 2014-2015 season rather than his very disappointing 2015-2016 season.
At this point in time I don’t feel that Deslauriers would be suited for much more than 4th line duty, and I currently have him listed as our 13th forward option. While he does bring some physicality and fire that I thoroughly enjoy, his possession numbers are awful, and we have promising young players like Bailey and Fasching that would serve the team better who are ready or close to ready to taking the next step.
Defense:
Dmitry Kulikov–Rasmus Ristolainen
In my opinion the defense is quite a bit more straight forward than the forward line-up. It’s almost a given that Kulikov and Ristolainen will play on the top pairing together, especially after Tim Murray made the trade to acquire him with the intention of playing a top 4D role.
If Bogosian is able to stay healthy I could see our second D pairing impressing and generating a decent amount of offense. Depending on how the year progresses it’s possible that McCabe takes Kulkiov’s spot on the top D pairing, however I don’t believe that will be the case to start the season.
Gorges and Franson could be a decent 3rd pairing option given limited minutes. If any injuries do occur we have Casey Nelson available as a solid depth option, who in my opinion has much more potential than just that of a depth forward.
It’s almost a guarantee that Guhle will start the 2017-2018 season with the Buffalo Sabres, however seeing as how we’re still stuck with the contracts of Gorges and Franson it may make sense to give him more time to develop before throwing him into full time NHL duties.
Goalie:
The Goalie situation should be fairly self-explanatory. Going into the 2016-2017 season Robin Lehner will be our number one goalie barring any freak injury. Anders Nilsson will be our back-up goalie, it remains to be seen how effective Nilsson will be moving forward.
Next: Sabres Player Projections: Jack Eichel
Thank you as always for reading, I look forward to reading your comments and feedback to this post. Please let me know about your thoughts on additional podcasts and if you would potentially be interested in joining in on a future session.
Go Sabres!