Joe: Chris, we are only a few days away from the Sabres season starting and since we now have legit expectations for a change that doesn’t involve wanting to lose, that means we may have a guy or two on this roster who may need a stellar season to save their butts because they are on the hot seat. Do you feel there is a player who better come up with a stellar season?
Chris: I’m not sure if any one player is truly on the hot seat. There are only a couple of players who are pending free agents and most of them are restricted, which makes it much easier for the Sabres to retain them, even if they don’t live up to expectations. That being said, I think there are a few players who certainly will be looked at with greater scrutiny this season. They include Matt Moulson, Marcus Foligno, Robin Lehner and Josh Gorges. If any of those four qualify as truly being on a hot seat, I’d say it’s Foligno simply because he’s a restricted free agent at year’s end.
Joe: I think its totally on Lehner. The Sabres gave up a 1st round pick which left a lot of fans and media scratching their heads. On top of that, Buffalo fans have kind of been spoiled when it comes to goaltending. I mean, you had Hasek/Miller for the better part of the last 22 years. That’s a hell of a duo. Now you have a guy come in whose been kind of a disappointment in Ottawa and if he plays poorly, I think fans are really going to go ape shit because of what it cost to get them and being use to having stellar goaltenders.
Chris: The fans who were of the opinion that Miller was some sort of ruined, below average goalie are in for a rude awakening this year. I have really high hopes for Lehner and I think he can succeed here for a multitude of reasons. But he’s still going to be working through some growing pains and fans aren’t going to love it if that adjustment period is prolonged. I have a hard time saying he’s on the hot seat though. He just got here and he was acquired for a first round pick. So it’s not as if he’s going to be shipped to the minors and bought out if he has a rough October. The pressure and focus on him will be fairly substantial, which is why I included him on my list. But I can’t say his job is in jeopardy by any stretch.
Joe: It is tough to say someone is on the hot seat since a lot of the guys on this roster are young. What about Matt Moulson? We went over in a previous question how he was a 30-goal scorer 3 straight years with #91, but his numbers dipped substantially the last two seasons here because of who he played with. Obviously the talent is better, but if he comes up with another 15 goal season, shit is gonna hit the fan.
Chris: Agreed. That’s why I brought him up above. He’s in the second year of a fairly substantial contract and he’s going to wind up on a line with either Tyler Ennis and Ryan O’Reilly or Jack Eichel. So he’s going to be in a position to put up numbers again. If he falters, he’ll be in some hot water.
Joe: I’ll bite on your Foligno mention. I just think Foligno is what he is. He’s gonna get 10-12 goals and be a 3rd line guy. What sort of production do you want him to get in terms of getting a new contract?
Chris: That’s just it for me. Is he going to be worth keeping around after this year? Both he and McGinn are pending free agents – McGinn is unrestricted – and they both fill similar roles. Nic Deslauriers has shown that he’s pretty much a prototypical fourth line winger in today’s NHL. The Sabres have a lot of bodies in the pipeline who will be pushing for NHL time in the very near future. If Foligno winds up just being an average contributor on the 4th line, will he be worth keeping around? There aren’t any clear-cut replacements for him in the system but with guys like Bailey, Baptiste, Carrier and Fasching coming up, is there room for Foligno long term? Of note: I realize three of those guys are right wingers, but my point on clogging up the pipeline stands.
Joe: What about Evander Kane? Do you think he falls under the Moulson category since he’s getting paid a pretty penny and had a lot of smoke with his departure from Winnipeg? You know Sully and the Pat Kaleta fan club are gonna channel the grit Gods if he plays like he did last year or injuries hit him up again.
Chris: I suppose. I mean, the whole team is going to be under a fair bit of pressure. Three quarters of the fan base act as if they should be founding members of Hockey Mensa when they’re hardly qualified for the hockey version of hooked on phonics. Far too many fans are thinking that they’re going to have three 30-goal scorers and finish second in the division and fourth in the East. So if we’re talking about pressure, every player will probably have undue pressure put on them. As for being on the hot seat, I can’t say Kane qualifies. If he’s a complete ghost, then maybe. But his spot isn’t in question, he’s not going to be bought out if he has a bad year.
Archives:
#20- How much will the team improve on?
#19- What are the legit expectations for Jack Eichel?
#18- Should goaltending be a concern?
#17-Who will be the most improved player this season?
#16- Who will have a better season, Ryan O’Reilly or Evander Kane?
#15- Who should be on the Sabres 1st line?
#14-Will Sam Reinhart play 40 games?
#13-Will Tyler Ennis score 25+ goals?
#12-Will the Sabres be buyers or sellers at the deadline?
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