Three Sabres “hot takes” for the 2021 NHL season
The NHL season is finally here, and it is time for some very “hot takes” about the Sabres before they play their first game on Thursday.
We did it! We made it to hockey season. We weren’t sure if we were going to get it, but here we are. The Buffalo Sabres open their season on Thursday vs the Washington Capitals. With roughly 24 hours until the puck drops on the Sabres season, now seems like the perfect time to drop my three “hot takes” for the Sabres this season.
I cannot state this enough, these takes are very bold. It doesn’t mean I think all of them will happen, but, there is a chance that they could. And I will explain my reasoning why I think there is a chance these can happen. So, let’s get into it.
1. Jack Eichel wins the Hart Trophy (MVP)
This is arguably the best supporting cast that the Sabres have ever had for Jack Eichel. So it seems like it is a perfect time for him to put together the best season of his career. If Eichel can put together a career year, he should certainly be in the Hart Trophy conversation come seasons end.
With the addition of Taylor Hall to the top line to be Eichel’s linemate, that duo has the potential to be one of, if not, the best duos in the NHL. If these two can gain chemistry quickly during the season, they will both put up monster numbers.
With Eichel already being one of the best centers in the NHL, it is time that he solidifies himself amongst the league’s elite and wins a Hart Trophy. He is coming off a season where he posted 78 points in 68 games. I fully expect him to be even more efficient with the new supporting cast he has.
If the Sabres make the playoffs this season and Eichel leads the team in points, there is no reason why he should not win the Hart Trophy. The stat line that he would put up if he leads Buffalo to the playoffs would be insane and definitely worth the MVP.
2. Linus Ullmark is a top-10 goalie
Linus Ullmark has shown improvement since becoming a rotational starter for the Sabres. And he now looks like he will be the primary number one goalie for Buffalo to start the season, while Carter Hutton serves as the back-up goalie.
Ullmark has shown improvement each year since being in the NHL. He has been a rotational starter for the Sabres since 2018. From the 2018-2019 season to the 2019-2020 season he improved his goals against average (GAA) by almost 0.5 goals per game and he improved his save percentage (SV%) by .010. Both of those are a decent improvement in terms of goalie stats in the NHL.
An improved team around Ullmark could also make it easier for him to post better numbers. If the team can take some pressure off the goalies by scoring more goals and have more sustained possessions to keep the opposing scoring chances to a minimum, that could lead to more efficient goalie play from Ullmark.
Ullmark ranked 23rd in the league in GAA with 2.69, and he ranked 20th in SV% at .915 in the 2019-2020 season. I think he is going to post a GAA of 2.50 with a SV% of .921 this season. Last season a GAA of 2.50 would have ranked 10th, and a SV% of .921 would be ranked ninth.
1. The Sabres make the playoffs AND win a playoff series
This is the one everyone wants, for obvious reasons. The Sabres haven’t seen the playoffs in nine years. But this is the best Sabres team on paper that we have seen since the last time they made the playoffs. I know that being good on paper and being good on the ice are two different things, but hey, these are called HOT TAKES for a reason.
Any team that makes the playoffs out of the east division is going to be good, as it’s the best division in the NHL this year. If you can hang with teams like the Capitals, Flyers, Bruins, Islanders, Penguins, and Rangers and beat a few of them to get a playoff spot, you certainly deserve to be there.
No one is going to sleepwalk to a playoff spot in the East Division. I can almost guarantee that there is going to be at least one, maybe two, teams in the East Division that miss the playoffs but have more points than teams that make it from other divisions.
Next. What is the “best-case scenario” for the Sabres in 2021?. dark
But if the Sabres do make it, it means they are for real. There could be a real chance at getting a pretty favorable playoff matchup as a team out of the east. There is a good chance that the schedule they played during the regular season could be more difficult than a potential playoff matchup.