In article
<f1d1507a-bb8a-4e7e-aa29-a8193eaf737f@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Kris <kritter65@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> 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
The vast majority of people I spoke to felt the Sabres would be entirely
screwed this season - as opposed to *anyone* thinking they would be the
same as last year. My best guess was that they would be "all-right". A
couple of more wins during that dismal losing streak and we'd all be
feeling a little better about things, but I'm taking the past season in
stride. You win some, you lose some - and only 1 team gets The Cup. The
current crop of Buffalo Sabres do not deserve the Stanley Cup.
I'm also pretty optimistic about next season, as we certainly aren't in
a "blow the organization up" state of mind, like some nearby foes.
We do need some veteran leader****p next year, though I haven't even
considered who that might be. It appears Teppo won't be around, which is
too bad - we sorely missed him this year. Plenty of kids got their feet
wet this year, and that's a good thing.
I love the fact that the end of the regular season had playoff
implications for almost every team involved - what more could you ask
for. I suspect next year will be much the same.
Sign a couple of veterans and we WILL be back in contention.
--
Chris B.
www.totalitypro.com
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