Three key players for the new-look Sabres turnaround
Which players will help the Buffalo Sabres head in the right direction in 2021 and lead them to the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The NHL and NHLPA have agreed on a 56-game season with 23-man rosters, and the Buffalo Sabres are ready to make some noise in a realigned East Division. With training camp approaching and a new season set to begin on January 13th, the Sabres are looking to make the playoffs in 2021 for the first time since 2011, nine seasons ago- The longest drought of any NHL team.
The team has made some big changes since last year’s disappointing end, missing the NHL restart and the expanded playoffs and increasing team Captain Jack Eichel’s frustrations.
Only a couple of months later and the club has a new look, with Kevyn Adams at the helm as the new GM, he has been steadily rebuilding the organization and improving the team with an active approach to the offseason.
Jack Quinn
Among those include additions such as Jack Quinn, whom the team selected with the eighth overall pick in October’s NHL draft as well as the top free agent on the market, Taylor Hall, to surround Eichel. These three players are key to the Sabres turnaround.
At age 19, Jack Quinn was actually considered one of the older players in the draft with 1st-year eligibility- But also one of the top natural scorers. The versatile forward had a breakout year and was second in the league scoring with 52 goals and 37 assists last year in a COVID-shortened season with the Ottawa 67’s.
Quinn forwent AAA to go right to the CCHL and OHL, and his puck skills allow him to both keep defenders off their game while extending possessions on the offensive end of the ice. His intelligence and foresight for playmaking will allow him to make an immediate impact both directly, as well as for his teammates.
Taylor Hall
Taylor Hall was the top name on the free-agent market and landed with the Sabres on a one year $8 million deal, expressing confidence the team’s ownership was poised to take steps forward into becoming a competitive franchise just as they had with the Buffalo Bills.
A 10-year veteran, Hall has 218 goals to go along with 563 points in 627 career games. The 29-year-old left wing was the first overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Edmonton Oilers, where now Sabres coach Ralph Krueger was an assistant during his rookie year. He even coached the Oilers during the shortened 2012-13 lockout season.
During that year Hall had 16 goals along with 34 assists for 50 points in 45 games… He’d win the Hart Trophy in 2018 with New Jersey putting up a career-high of 39 goals and goes into 2021 with better odds than his new teammate Eichel to win it again.
Jack Eichel
With 24-year-old Jack Eichel at Center leading the way for Buffalo, he’ll now have weapons at his side in Quinn and Hall to help add a dynamic force and scoring threat on offense.
The franchise cornerstone player whom the Sabres selected second overall in the 2015 draft and are building a competitive team around has had some frustrations with Buffalo’s seasons ending without competing in the postseason.
Ownership responded, naming Adams as the new GM and making immediate moves to make good on delivering the help needed to turn the team around and into a playoff contender. The team added veteran center Eric Staal to its second unit to backup Eichel, and re-signed another scoring threat in fellow 24-year-old right wing Sam Reinhart, who was on pace last season for his second consecutive 60 point campaign for Buffalo, had it not been cut short.
Having these players, along with others such as LW/C Jeff Skinner, could finally give the Sabres the consistency and scoring depth on offense they’ve lacked. And the players who could help push them over the tipping point to sustainability in remaining competitive are poised to be Eichel and his new teammates in Quinn and Hall.
Did missing the NHL restart motivate the Sabres to go after big names?. dark. Next
Ownership, as well as the Sabres front office, are making good on helping the team take the next step in this direction, and this season is poised to be an excited one for Buffalo.