Our Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020 notes that the Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs for the eighth year in a row. Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020 Coming into the new season, Buffalo looks improved. They made plenty of moves over the offseason and were one of the NHL’s busiest organizations. Our 2019-2020 Buffalo Sabres season preview looks at whether these moves will be enough to end their postseason drought.
Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020: Goaltending
Buffalo attempted to solidify their goaltending situation last summer. They signed Carter Hutton who played 50 games for the Sabres this past season. It was an okay year, although he didn’t give his club an elite performance. Hutton had a .908 save percentage while allowing 3.00 goals per game. He is a mid-to-lower end starter in the NHL but should give Buffalo a chance to win most nights.
Hutton’s backup for the second straight year will be Linus Ullmark. Ullmark set a career high in games played with 37 on the year. In those contests, he had a .905 save percentage and a 3.11 GAA. Our Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020 notes that he provides a decent backup option although he is unlikely to steal games for his team. Overall the Sabres’ goaltending is one of their weaker areas. Despite this, they should be about average at the position.
Buffalo Forwards
The Sabres also made a decent number of moves with their forwards. They brought in both Marcus Johansson and Jimmy Vesey. Johansson, while injury prone, can play the second line center role for Buffalo. He only had 17 points in 58 regular season games last year but was terrific in the playoffs. He registered four goals and seven assists over Boston’s 22-game run. Vesey has failed to live up to the hype he had coming out of college but our Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020 thinks he should still exhibit third-line production. The winger had 17 goals and 18 assists with the Rangers in 2018 – 2019.
Both players will add depth behind a nucleus of Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Jeff Skinner. Eichel led Buffalo in points with 82 on the year. This was his highest point total to date in great part due to his ability to stay healthy last season. He suited up for 77 games after playing in only 67 the year prior. When healthy, Eichel is an elite talent and will be the catalyst for most of the Sabres’ offensive output. Reinhart and Skinner finished with 65 and 63 points respectively. While this total was the highest of Reinhart’s career, Skinner matched his previous high. It was a very good year for Skinner in particular due to it being his first 40-goal season. He may not reach that number again in 2019 – 2020 but he should be good for at least 30 goals on the year.
Sabres Preview – Defense
The Sabres’ blueline retooled over the offseason. They added both Colin Miller and Henri Jokiharju during the summer. Miller was selected in the Expansion Draft by Vegas and has spent the past two seasons as a Golden Knight. He has a booming shot and will definitely help the club improve upon their middle of the road powerplay. Last season, Miller was limited to 65 games but had 29 points while healthy. Jokijarju is not a sure bet to spend the entire season in the NHL although he looks like he should make the jump. The 20-year-old Finn spent last season with Chicago’s organization. He played in 38 NHL games before being dropped down to the AHL. In his stint with the Blackhawks, he had 12 assists. Jokijarju looks like he could develop into a top-four defenseman at the very least and gives Buffalo a very intriguing prospect on the backend.
Buffalo will also return Rasmus Dahlin, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Brandon Montour, who was acquired at the trade deadline last year. Our Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020 notes that Dahlin had a great rookie season last year. After being selected first overall last year, he came in and led all Sabre defensemen in points with 44. With a strong likelihood of becoming one of the best defensemen in the entire NHL, Dahlin will be Buffalo’s top D-man this season.
Ristolainen, while a talent player, is nowhere as complete as Dahlin. He had 43 points last year and led his club in ice time but also finished with the worst plus-minus in the league (-41). There is also a strong possibility he will be moved at some point during the 2019 – 2020 season. Although Ristolainen will drive offense from the backend, he can be a defensive liability at times. Montour played a total of 20 games with Buffalo last year. He had 10 points in those contests while registering 25 in 62 games with Anaheim. All three of these players should log upwards of 20 minutes per game and give Buffalo their best blueline in years.
Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020: Goaltending
Buffalo attempted to solidify their goaltending situation last summer. They signed Carter Hutton who played 50 games for the Sabres this past season. It was an okay year, although he didn’t give his club an elite performance. Hutton had a .908 save percentage while allowing 3.00 goals per game. He is a mid-to-lower end starter in the NHL but should give Buffalo a chance to win most nights.
Hutton’s backup for the second straight year will be Linus Ullmark. Ullmark set a career high in games played with 37 on the year. In those contests, he had a .905 save percentage and a 3.11 GAA. He provides a decent backup option although he is unlikely to steal games for his team. Overall the Sabres’ goaltending is one of their weaker areas. Despite this, they should be about average at the position.
Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020: Outlook
Buffalo looks improved compared to last year. They added some much-needed depth at both defense and forward. Despite this, our Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020 finds that they don’t look to be a playoff contender. They could finish in the middle of the Eastern Conference but the top of the Atlantic Division is very strong. Look for them to improve upon their 76 points from last season. But don’t expect them to clinch a postseason berth.
Buffalo Sabres Preview 2019 – 2020: Prediction
Record: 36-33-13, 85 points
Finish:6th in the Atlantic Division
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