Anyone who thought the sabres would be a great team again this season
was insane. What do expect to happen when you lose your 2 best players
to free agency ? Of course they were going to miss those 2 guys and of
course the team wasn't going to be as good. I for one, am proud of the
team for doing as well as it did, considering all the injuries and
missing players who left for more $ $ $. Peoples expectations were WAY
too big. They expected a Presidents Trophy team again and many people
were very disapointed in the way the season went.
However, I'm taking a different approach to how this season went. They
were NOT the Presidents Trophy team this season. What are they then ?
A young, up and coming team with a great future ahead. Sure, we've had
many young, up and coming teams before. But I can't recall one that
had so many young, extremely talented playes on the roster. Guys like
Vanek, Roy, Pomminville, Max, Connolly, Paille, Weber, Sekera,
Bernier, Miller, and Stafford. What a great core group of young,
talented players ! And it gets better when you consider the guys we
have waiting in the wings : Hobey Baker finalist Nate Gerbe, Michigan
State standout Tim Kennedy, and #1 ranked European goaltender Jhonas
Enroth. Enroth is gonna be a good one too ... look out Ryan Miller !
Next year, I look for the current roster guys mentioned above to get
even better. A full year of Connolly would help immensely ... and I'm
gonna go out on a limb and say he stays healthy and leads the team in
points next season. What would help this young, talented team to get
even better would be for management to sign 1 or 2 veteran
forwards ... a guy like Shanahan would have been awesome to have this
season. Next year, a free agent who fits the wise old veteran profile
that I think this team sorely needs would be Bobby Holik. He's at the
top of my wish list for free agency this offseason. And I think the
addition of a bruiser on D would be the final touch. Buffalo native
and free agent Brooks Orpik would be ideal.
So, for our team to be better next season, the young guys have to
continue to develop, and they need to sign at least 2 veterans and
they're back in contention !
Kris
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