NHL Hockey Season Previews – Buffalo Sabres
Looking for 2019 Buffalo Sabres predictions? The Sabres endured a very deflating 2018-19. Despite a hot start, the boys from the Queen City limped down the stretch, en route to yet another season missing the playoffs in the gnarly Atlantic division.
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2019-20 NHL Hockey Preview – Buffalo Sabres
Head Coach: Ralph Krueger
2018 Record: 33-39-10
Buffalo Sabres Odds to win the 2020 Stanley Cup Championship: 52/1
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2019 |Buffalo Sabres: Team Strengths
The Buffalo Sabres aren’t without bright spots, but this has largely been a moribund franchise for the last ten years. The western New York outfit are built around two young studs in C Jack Eichel and D Rasmus Dahlin, but Eichel especially must elevate his team to the next level, which will be tricky in the predatory Atlantic division.
Eichel apparently has really hit it off with new coach Ralph Krueger, brought in from European athletic pursuits – in the front office of Southampton in the Premier League – to replace the sacked Phil Housley.
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A dollop of trust and patience from his coach could be the salve that Eichel needs to take the next step to superstardom.
Buffalo brass also really like the speed of second-line centreman Casey Mittelstadt, and sniper Jeff Skinner and useful Sam Reinhart join Eichel on the top unit to make a formidable trio. This team is not entirely without talent.
The blueline is skippered by the Rasmuses – Dahlin and Ristolainen, while Brandon Montour, acquired in a trade with Anaheim last year, looked decent also. Montour also brings some sandpaper to the mix, with his 56 PIM splitting time between the Ducks and Sabres. Keep an eye on Henri Jokiharju, grabbed via trade with Chicago when the Sabres sent enigmatic talent Alex Nylander to the Windy City. The “Joker” showed flashes of brilliance with Chicago last year and could really blossom this season.
2019 Buffalo Sabres Predictions: Team Weaknesses
One problem for the Sabres last year was they leaned too heavily on a couple of remote sources for offence. Eichel, sniper Jack Skinner and Sam Reinhart produced the lion’s share of the scoring and playmaking. Veteran Jason Pominville had hot stretches also, but he departed in the offseason. Buffalo hopes the additions of Jimmy Vesey from New York and Marcus Johansson from Boston can add some much-needed secondary scoring. That duo could help, but Buffalo still don’t have the depth necessary to be a top-class franchise in today’s NHL.
Tampa Bay, Toronto and Boston all look notably more formidable than Buffalo within its division. Bummed-out Sabres fans can take heart that they have a budding superstar in the blueliner Dahlin, however. He has the makings of a No. 1 defenceman and potentially a Norris Trophy candidate and All-Star.
Buffalo Sabres Prediction: Sixth in the Atlantic division, 13th in the Eastern Conference
Buffalo has a couple of intriguing prospects in the pipeline. Centreman Dylan Cozens has an ideal power forward mix, if he continues to fill out his 6”3, 180-lb frame – he’s just 18, so he must keep growing into a man.
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The Sabres also have goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was the MVP of the Ontario Hockey League a year ago, dominating for the Sudbury Wolves. Luukkonen is probably a year away from making an impact with the big club. A third tantalizing talent is 18-year old D-man Ryan Johnson who has committed to play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and will likely hang in college for a couple of seasons. Still, Johnson has elite skating ability and can carry the puck, which is that lusted-after commodity in the modern game.
It won’t be a simple, linear path for this well-supported, but rather snakebitten, franchise. The Sabres haven’t surpassed 80 points in the last three seasons. Owner Terry Pegula has also cycled through five coaches since 2013. Yikes.
With the aforementioned trio at the top of the division and also the Montreal Canadiens always able to overachieve, wins could be tough to by in Western New York. If Eichel can crack the 30-goal plateau and Dahlin continues to progress as a sophomore, it will go far to helping Buffalo improve this season.
What do you think about our 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do this season!
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