Last season was special for the Buffalo Sabres as they ended their playoff drought and got as far as the second round. However, they wouldn't have been able to get that far if it weren't for a few players taking that next step and having a career season.
Now looking ahead and with a roster without Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, some of those players that had career seasons are under pressure to replicate them again if the Sabres want to return to the playoffs. These are three players in particular that fall into that category.
Mattias Samuelsson
There may not be a player who has had a bigger turnaround in their career than Mattias Samuelsson. Last offseason, he was often a popular candidate who could be bought out since he hadn't lived up to the seven-year, $30 million contract.
Fortunately, for the Sabres they did not go down that route and Samuelsson had a breakout year. He emerged as a top-pair defenseman with a career-high in average ice time of 22:50.
One of the reasons he got so much ice time was because of how well he was playing. Last season he finished with 13 goals and 28 assists, which is incredible when considering he had only seven career goals and 36 career assists in 212 regular-season games prior to that.
While Olen Zellweger is the direct replacement for Bowen Byram, the Sabres can't expect him to replace all of his production. They are going to need more from the rest of their blueline, and while it remains to be seen what the ceiling is for Samuelsson, the Sabres can't afford him taking a step back next season.
Jack Quinn
Jack Quinn took the next step in his career at just the right time as he had his first season with 20 goal season and broke the 50 point mark. He remained productive in the playoffs with seven points in 13 games, and that number could have been higher if he hadn't had some serious bad luck with the number of posts that he hit.
This offseason, Quinn has been a popular name to include in potential trade packages, and the Sabres could still end up trading him. However, if he is on the team when they begin the season, he is going to be somewhere in their Top 9 and expected to produce once again.
While the Sabres need Quinn to match his career season, the player can also benefit from it, as he will be a restricted free agent after the season. He is going to be looking for a new contract, and another season like the one he had last year could set him up for a bigger deal.
Josh Doan
Josh Doan doesn't have to worry about another contract as he signed a seven-year deal in January during his first season in Buffalo. It was one of the first moves Jarmo Kekalainen made after being named general manager, and it is already looking like a great move.
In two seasons with the Utah Mammoth franchise, Doan had only 12 goals and 16 assists in 62 games. He would be traded last offseason and made an immediate impact with the Sabres as he had 25 goals and 27 assists, including nine power-play goals.
Entering training camp, the Sabres' coaching staff is likely to have all options on the table when it comes to building their lines. For Josh Doan, he more than likely will be somewhere on the first or second line and if there was one player that the Sabres could expect to fill Alex Tuch's role, it would be Doan.
The Buffalo Sabres are going to want to get back to the playoffs after the season they had and the road back is going to be a little tougher without Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram. However, if these three players repeat with another career season, they should like their chances.
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