Here’s the deal. Sabres hockey is back, and I want to do some sort of preview posts for the upcoming season. So, I’m going to ask myself 41 Sabres questions (Yes, I’m ripping off the 41% off sale from Slug Appreciation Day, which represents the number of years the Sabres have been around). Amazing, right? Anyway, lets get right into it.
41) Will the Sabres win the division? No. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Sabres this year and I’ll give my prediction later on where I see them in the standings, but I just don’t think they can overcome the Bruins. Sure, they had their way with the B’s last year, going 4-1-1. However, I just think chemistry with the Sabres may be an issue, while the Bruins seem to be more of a cohesive unit. Plus, they are the defending Stanley Cup Champion. I just think it will take the Sabres a while to get all the moving parts to work as a unit. I think it will be close though. On the other hand, there always seems to be a slight hangover in the NHL whenever a team wins the Cup. The Canes didn’t make the playoffs after their win. The Hawks had to wait until the final game of the season to make the playoffs. The Pens were eliminated in the 2nd round of the playoffs after they won the Cup. The Ducks were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs after the Cup. Since the lockout, only one reigning Stanley Cup champion has won their division, and that was Detroit. Why the hell am I picking the B’s again?
40) Will Ryan Miller rebound from an average year? Yes. I brought up during the midway point of last season that I thought Ryan Miller was having an average season. I know there are outside reasons for this – the defense got too young and too offensive-minded, Miller was injured at certain parts of the season – however, you are still a high-priced goalie and should be able to stand on your head. Miller didn’t really steal any games during the season until the playoffs against the Flyers. However, he still was rather inconsistent at times. He looked great one game then got lit up for five goals in the next. For the season, Miller ranked 22nd in GAA and 19th in save percentage. Was 2009/2010 just an anomaly? Well, we are going to find out. Frankly, the defense getting better is what I’m banking on for Miller to play better. The Sabres have almost 90 million dollars invested in the blueline. Yes, you read that correctly. As I’ve written before, there are no excuses for Miller this season. Last year, I heard way too many excuses about his play. Hell, I heard some experts declare that none of the 20 goals he allowed against the Flyers in the playoffs were his fault. That’s a joke.
39) Who should be the Sabres captain? Rotate. Yes. I’m probably in the .001% in thinking this, but I’m still not sure about whether this team really has any big time leaders. Maybe I’m wrong. You see, this is why I hate the captaincy topic. I have no clue how these guys act in the locker room. I just hear what they say after games, and I’m not exactly blown away by most of their quotes. I like Miller, but he’s a goalie. I know a number of fans want Vanek to be the guy, but I just don’t know if he’s captain material. I like the idea of rotating because you can see how a number of guys respond to it. We all know when you have the “C” it is a added responsibility and an honor. In all honestly, I don’t care. Ted Black can be the captain.
38) Who should be on the Sabres first line? Stafford-Roy-Vanek. Yes, I’m going with the same line combination I go with every year. We all know any line combination Ruff starts with during the regular season will be changed by the 2nd intermission. So I’m well aware that these lines won’t stick. I’m just a fan of having the three best players play on the first line. The trio combined for 72 goals and 88 assists last year, which is an impressive number when you consider that Derek Roy missed 2/3rds of the season. I know some think that the Roy/Vanek combination has grown stale, but I think you can’t ignore what they did together in 08/09. All three of these guys know each other and have been the offensive core for the Sabres now for a number of years. I think they deserve the first crack. (FYI: This is my opinion)
37) Is Ted Black overexposing himself? My god, yes! OK, I kid, but my goodness, how many times has this guy hijacked Sabres.com and its Twitter page?! OK, I’m really kidding. I don’t want 100 emails coming my way about how Ted Black is dreamy and how he gets sent bra and panties from the fans. I’m just gonna say this: if the s#$t hits the fan, which I don’t think it will, I can already envision a column coming out saying that the Sabres front office is too nice.
36) Who is the more important Sabres addition on the blueline, Regehr or Ehrhoff? Regehr. I know Ehrhoff probably has the better upside and has more skills, but the Sabres didn’t really have a problem with offense from the blueline last season. We all remember how MSG replayed the same stat over and over again about how the Sabres blueline led the league in goals. Sure, Ehrhoff will totally help out in that stat, especially on the power play. Hell, he’s probably the better player. However, the Sabres really needed a stay-at-home defenseman who could decleat a winger. That was their biggest flaw last year, not enough toughness on the blueline. Regehr delivers that, and that’s why he’s more important.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
