Buffalo Sabres: 6 Reasons They Won't Win the Stanley Cup in 2012

When Terry Pegula bought the Buffalo Sabres last year, we all thought that, with the work of Ryan Miller and an owner that could afford big names, the Sabres would suddenly become a force to be reckoned with in the East.

Well, Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino came in, but in the first half of this NHL season, we've seen an anemic team victimized by injuries, good enough for 11th in the Eastern Conference and with little promise.

Seeing the pattern that the Sabres are setting this year, they won't win the Stanley Cup. It'll be an achievement if they even reach the playoffs.

Drew Stafford Is Not Producing

Everyone thought that after last season's early exit from the playoffs, one of the team's brightest spots was Drew Stafford's 31-goal season. With a total production of 51 points, everyone thought the right winger was here to stay.

With the benefit of hindsight, last season's production seems like a fluke.

This year, Stafford has already played more than half of the games he played last season, with a meager production of six goals and 19 points.

With the ridiculous amount of injuries suffered by the Sabres this year, Stafford's production is sorely missed. Let's face it—if you want to play on the first or the second line of a contender, you are expected to produce a lot more than this.

It doesn't seem that Stafford has it in him. 

Sophomore Slump

The Sophomore Slump is a phenomenon well documented in the history of the NHL. Last year, adding to the list of vertically-challenged players to break the roster, Tyler Ennis had an amazing rookie year—to the point that he was the only Sabre in the All-Star Weekend. With his 20 goals and 29 assists, he was one of the top forwards of the team. Therefore, he was expected to produce this year.

Let's just say that his production has been a little better than nonexistent—a total of three goals and two assists for five points this year. 

The same thing could be said of the blueliner Marc-Andre Gragnani. With the Portland Pirates of the AHL, Gragnani broke the franchise records of points and assists by a defenseman. With three points in nine games last year in the NHL, along with his first goal—an overtime winner against the Carolina Hurricanes—he was even called to play for Canada in the World Cup of Hockey of 2011.

The stage was set for his coming-out party—which didn't happen. Gragnani only has one goal and eight assists for nine points in 30 games this season, and we are all left wanting more from the supposed stud defenseman. 

Ryan Miller's Post-Concussion Form

Evidently, when playing at the top of his form, Ryan Miller is arguably the best goaltender in the NHL. Miller is also a workhorse, having played 66 games last year.

But after the infamous hit by Milan Lucic, Miller has not been the same.

He took matters into his own hands against Jordin Tootoo and has been the most vocal goalie in the NHL for goalie protection. The forwards are now getting in his grill and he's not happy, He's been bothered and out of place. Miller himself has admitted that he has not quite been the same player he was in the last two years.

The Sabres need Miller to steal games for them in order for them to get anywhere and, this year, it seems that Miller is trending down.

Lack of Physicality

The only players of above-average size on the Sabres' original roster are Regehr, Myers and Gaustad. When Patrick Kaleta is not in, the enforcer role falls into the hands of Cody McCormick and of our one-and-only Paul Gaustad.

These two players can't defend, by themselves, a team that is full of non-fighters.

The team's DNA is so much that of non-violence that coach Lindy Ruff had to call a team meeting after the Milan Lucic hit on Ryan Miller to tell players to toughen up and to get their hands dirty.

Inadmissible.

Lack of Secondary Production

The Sabres' first line has been clicking on all cylinders, with Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville scoring more than a point per game.

Where is the secondary scoring?

Christian Ehrhoff has 17 points and is minus-11 for the season, Ville Leino, even before his injury, had only 10 points to show for, and we have already talked about Drew Stafford in this slideshow.

A team without secondary production can't expect to go deep in the playoffs. 

The Sabres Are More Like a Hospital

The Sabres are not a hockey team. They are more like a hospital ward.

No team has been more affected by injuries than the Sabres. The rookies couldn't be expected to maintain the same level right from the get-go, but we have been seeing some promising hockey players like Zack Kassian and Brayden McNabb.

In a few years, they might be good players in the Sabres, but right now, they can't match the NHL powerhouses of the Eastern Conference.