Buffalo Sabres 2008-09 Season Preview

I couldn't help it. I saw a few NHL teams being previewed and I just had to make my own.

I'll only be doing one, for my favourite team—the Buffalo Sabres. Bryan Thiel's previews have all been great, and I noticed he hasn't covered the Sabres yet.

Bryan, I hope I don't steal any of the headlines you had set for this squad. All right, let's take a look at the Buffalo Sabres.

2007-2008 Season: 39-31-12, 90 points (10th in Eastern Conference).

Who's In: Craig Rivet (San Jose Sharks), Patrick Lalime (Chicago Blackhawks), Mathieu Darche (Tampa Bay Lightning), Teppo Numminen (back after heart surgery).

Who's Out: Stever Bernier (Vancouver Canucks), Dmitri Kalinin (New York Rangers).

Unsigned: Nolan Pratt, Michael Ryan, Jocelyn Thibault.

Draft Picks: Tyler Myers (12th overall), Tyler Ennis (26), Luke Adam (44), Cory Fienhage (81), Justin Jokinen (101), Jordon Southorn (104), Jacob Lagace (134), Nick Crawford (164).

The Big Picture

We've heard it time and time again—the departures of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere were a loss that the Sabres wouldn't be able to recover from. Still, this team barely missed out on the playoffs, and had no trouble with scoring last season, finishing fourth in the league.

Defense was their biggest issue. Turnovers, lack of shot blocking, and chemistry really took their toll on Buffalo.  Derek Roy and Jason Pominville established themselves as leaders, and will be counted upon to carry the load once again this year. If the defense gets its act together, 2008-09 should see the Buffalo Sabres return to the postseason.

Ryan Miller will start most of the games in goal.  After playing a career-high 76 games last season, Miller Time should be back in full force.  Patrick Lalime will serve as a good backup.

Raising the Teppo

Teppo Numminen's return to the lineup after heart surgery just shows you how committed he is to hockey. The Finn brings a cool presence at the point during power plays, solid play in his own end, and even some decent statistics.

All of these skills will assist Buffalo's defense in a major way. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 30-plus point season for Numminen. He may be 40 years old, but the Sabres will welcome him back with open arms.

Maxim-um Potential

You don't get the nickname Baby Bure out of the blue. Maxim Afinogenov has shown the world what he can do at the NHL level.

Somewhere along the line last year, though, Afinogenov lost it. He only managed 28 points (10 G, 18 A) in 56 games. If he had finished with even just 20 goals, that could have been the boost Buffalo needed offensively to slip into the postseason.

The Sabres need Afinogenov to bring back the great speed, flashy stickhandling, and superb finishing he has shown in the past.

Kalinin out the trash

Without a doubt, the best elimination from the Sabres squad. Dmitri Kalinin was a good addition to Buffalo for a few years before his play started to drop. Last season was the climax of this horror movie.

Kalinin turned the puck over countlessly, took dumb penalties, and failed to show any sort of offensive upside. One goal along with seven assists in 46 games just doesn't jump out at you—in a good way.

Now, Broadway is his new stage. Good riddance.

Rivet-ing

The signing of Craig Rivet is the second best news for the Buffalo defense, behind Teppo Numminen's brave comeback. He's got the mean streak and physical presence that this team has been lacking for a few years.

Offensively, he can put up some pretty solid numbers too. Last year, he totalled 35 points (5 G, 30 A) in 74 games with San Jose. Rivet's the kind of veteran you'd like to have come playoff time.

"Timmm-berrrr!"

The sound of Tim Connolly going down with another injury. Who knows how great a career he could have already had if injuries hadn't constantly hampered him?  He can stick-handle with the best of them, and has a smooth passing ability.  In just 48 games last year, he tallied 40 points (7 G, 33 A).

Postseason action hasn't gotten Connolly nervous either. A key component in Buffalo's 2005-06 run to the Eastern Conference Final (11 points in eight games before falling to injury yet again), he'll be another great weapon for the Sabres again this year.

A healthy dose of Tim Connolly will keep Buffalo atop the scoring category in the league.

In the end...

Buffalo will obviously continue to light up goaltenders and stay in the top five in league scoring—at least. Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Maxim Afinogenov, Tim Connolly, Jochen Hecht, Ales Kotalik, Drew Stafford, and Daniel Paille will give the Sabres plenty of offensive threat. 

The defense is the big question, and GM Darcy Regier seems to have filled the holes that led to breakdowns last season.

Nummenin will quarterback the power play, Rivet will shut the offense down, and hopefully Jaroslav Spacek's numbers will continue to rise. Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman need to resemble the duo that helped carry Buffalo to two consecutive Conference Finals appearances.

Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera will get more time this year, too. Weber will be the physical one, while the young Slovakian will thrive as an offensive defenseman. Ryan Miller should learn from last season, and improve his numbers in 2008-2009.

If everyone stays healthy—or at least mostly everyone—all signs should point to a postseason return for the Buffalo Sabres.