Sabres hold an edge over Detroit, Ottawa
There wasn’t much roster turnover north of the border next to the DeBrincat trade, as outlined in a previous piece. The Sens also appear to be one step behind Buffalo, despite splitting the season series last year, as they finished five points behind the Blue and Gold. However, they could wind up challenging Buffalo since they are also one of the league’s younger teams.
Going back to the Yzerplan, I’m not going to get so bold and claim that it won’t work. But vs. the Adamsplan, you got one general manager continually throwing players together each season without giving them a chance to build long-term chemistry. The same appears to be the case this year, and you have to wonder when this window is going to close and Detroit brass will be forced to admit defeat, and perhaps shift gears to calling up a few prospects.
Meanwhile, Adams already identified the Buffalo Sabres core and has half of them signed to long-term deals at solid prices. We know at least two players will join them in the not-so-distant future, and better yet, those who have signed long-term or will sign long-term have already shown they are capable of emerging as a pair of the league’s best at their respective position.