Sabres In For A Long, Telling Season

BUFFALO, NY- It's that time of year again.

Hockey teams are playing their meaningless games in a more meaningless preseason than any sport in America.  There is nothing telling about the preseason at all in the NHL, especially when you have NHL teams going to Prague for exhibition games like the Rangers and the Lightning.

This is extremely good news for the Sabres.

The Buffalo Sabres have had an awful preseason, losing almost every game, save for a comeback victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday.  They've taken the lead in only one game, and they ended up losing that game in pretty much the same fashion they had won the night before in Toronto.  New Buffalo Sabres goaltender Patrick Lalime let in a tricky goal, sending the match to OT where the Sabres lost in, surprise surprise, a shootout. 

If there's anything telling about a preseason, it's how their minor league teams will play this year.  All signs have pointed to bad for the Portland Pirates, the Sabres AHL affiliate this year. 

But finally, as the regular season approaches in less than two weeks, the Sabres will be back in action for the first time since they cleaned out the locker room last season after a disappointing year, missing the playoffs after two straight seasons of going to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Sabres fans know the story.  Chris Drury and Daniel Briere both left Buffalo for more money, and rightfully so.  Although Drury was offered the same contract he received from the Rangers, Drury picked them over Buffalo simply on the fact that growing up, the Rangers were Drury's team. 

Briere, however, simply went for the money, and who could blame him?  He had a career season in Buffalo, with 95 points, and all Buffalo could do was offer him the same lousy contract that an arbitrator awarded him the year before.  Sure, Briere was going to take a hometown discount, but from a team who didn't even seem to make a push to show him that they wanted him, Briere wanted out.  Philly offered him a contract that he couldn't refuse. 

All is said and done, and as Buffalo Sabres fans, I think we've moved on.

It's safe to assume that the acquisition of Jocelyn Thibault last year was a horrible move.  Darcy Regier moved to amend that mistake, signing Patrick Lalime to a two-year contract in the hopes that he could be the answer that Regier was hoping Thibault would be. 

Regier did his homework this summer, too, locking up all his core players that he told Buffalo faithful that Ryan Miller and Jason Pominville would be his top priority this summer, and he wasn't kidding.  Miller signed a contract worth $31.5 million, which keeps him in Buffalo until the 2013-14 season (as long as Thomas Vanek is there, in case you were wondering). 

Pominville also signed a long-term deal worth $26.5 million, keeping JP in navy blue and maize (as long as they don't change the colors again) for another 5 years to the 2013-14 season.  Also a surprise signing by Regier early this summer was the signing of C Paul Gaustad, to a 4-year $9 million contract. Daniel Paille was also signed to a 2-year contract.  He'll be a restricted free agent by the end of his campaign.

Regier also pulled off what will likely be a heck of a trade in the dealing of Steve Bernier to the Canucks for some draft picks.  Sure, that may look like a horrible trade, but when those picks are transferred over to the Sharks for a veteran D-man in Craig Rivet, it looks like Darcy has once again shown why the Sabres have kept this guy around for so long. 

So coming into this season, here is a prospective look at how the line-up will shape up (barring injury to a certain guy wearing the numbers 1 and 9 along the back, but I'm not naming any names).

Line 1: Vanek-Roy-Afinogenov   
Line 2: Paille-Connolly-Pominville
Line 3: Hecht-Gaustad-Stafford
Line 4: MacArthur-Mair-Kotalik
Scratches: Peters
Possible Call-Ups: Gerbe, Kennedy, Zagrapan, Gragnani

D-Pair 1: Lydman, Tallinder
D-Pair 2: Numminen, Rivet
D-Pair 3: Spacek, Sekera
7th D: Weber
Waiver Wiggler: Paetsch

Goalie Depth Chart: Miller, Lalime, Enroth, Dennis

Also, if Coach Lindy Ruff things he's going anywhere with that rotating captaincy, he's completely wrong.  The two-captain system they employed with Briere and Drury was acceptable, but really Lindy, you must be able to pick someone out of that young team of yours. 

How about Jason Pominville?  He played the best with the "C" last year, and probably showed the most poise in the locker room out of any player.  Anybody they threw money at over the summer is fine with me, too.  Rivet is worthy of an "A" in my opinion, as is the 40-year-old Teppo Numminen.  But seriously, when's the last time you heard of the Stanley Cup Champions who had rotating leadership roles throughout the season?

All in all, the Sabres will probably be on the bubble of making the playoffs this year.  At best, I'll give them 5th place in the East, however, 3rd if they win the East. 

But with powerhouse Montreal, and the unsure Bruins and Senators, the Northeast division is probably one of the most up-for-grabs divisions in the NHL at this point.  They are a close second to the atrocious Southeast division, though.