Welcome to the Buffalo Sabres off-season report. We will be taking a look at the Sabres current roster by position and note where work will need to be done, we'll also touch on trade rumours and the draft.

 

Centers:

 

Sindey Crosby

Ryan Strome

Jack Roslovic

Daniel O'Regan

Justin Kloos

Filip Chlapik

Blake Speers

Nathan Noel

 

Aside from the guy at the top of the list, this is a very weak group. On the plus side, the depth players are all 24 years old or younger. Guys like Roslovic & Speers are probably better suited for a role on the wing next year but may end up down the middle due to lack of depth at the position. There is a glaring need for a #2 center, the team has a history of getting older players through UFA or trade to fill the role, previously the #2 centers were Zetterberg, Kesler, and last year Bozak. If GM Mitchell can't find a suitible player in UFA look for him to be active on the trade front.

 

What's in the pipeline:

 

Michael McLeod

Matthew Phillips

Jordy Stallard

 

McLeod has the highest upside of the bunch, but might be the least likely to reach his ceiling. Phillips just put up crazy numbers in the WHL and almost hit 50 goals, finishing just shy at 48. Stallard finished his 4th WHL season in style with a 91 point showing.

 

Left Wing:

 

Ondrej Palat

Gustav Nyqvist

Ivan Barbashev

Kevin Roy

Cody McLeod

Ryan Gropp

 

The left wing position looks set, McLeod & Gropp will be sent to the farm leaving the 4 above them on the opening night roster. It's probably a bit weak with the unproven Kevin Roy on the 4th line, but should be solid going forward.

 

What's in the pipeline:

 

Lukas Vejdemo

 

There were rumours Lukas might be headed to the AHL next year, though nothing is written in stone. His potential is hard to nail down as he's had a good season, followed by a bad season, followed by another good season. Expectations are currently low for him to turn into a pro BRHL player.

 

Right Wing:

 

Alexander Radulov

Nick Bjugstad

Riley Barber

Jeremy Langlois

Tyler Randell

 

Now this is a weak group of players, the Sabres will be in trouble if Langlois is a regular on the roster next year. It should be mentioned that Jack Roslovic would move to the right side if a center is acquired without a pro asset moving. So the need right now is a RW for the bottom 6, that shouldn't be too hard to find in UFA or trade.

 

What's in the pipeline:

 

Patrick Harper

 

You might be saying to yourself "Isn't he listed as a center?", and you'd be right, but Harper has played all of the year on the wing in the top 6 for BU, mostly as a RW.

 

Defence:

 

Rasmus Ristolainen

Nikita Zadorov

Nate Schmidt

Brooks Orpik

Thomas Chabot

Ian McCoshen

Jordan Schmaltz

Chris Summers

Jake Chelios

Matthew Spencer

 

The back end is the strongest position for the Sabres, they have a legit top 4 and some good young players knocking on the door to the pros. Obviously the X-factor is what to expect from rookie Thomas Chabot. Losing Harpur in expansion hurt as he was pegged to be the 6th Dman on the roster. Maybe a 6th or 7th Dman will be brought in through UFA.

 

What's in the pipeline:

 

Kale Clague

Dennis Cholowski

 

Two very good prospects in the pipeline who are only a season away from making their BRHL debuts. Some people soured on Cholowski during his only NCAA season with St. Cloud, those people watched his stats and jumped to conclusions. Once he hit the WHL he showed why he is held in high regard.

 

Goaltending:

 

Petr Mrazek

Anton Forsberg

Spencer Martin

 

It's well known GM Mitchell won't spend big money on goaltending, and in the past it didn't seem to matter who was in net as long as they could outscore opponents. Last season the team was out priced on veterans Ryan Miller and Brian Elliott in UFA and it cost them dearly. This year doesn't look much better, and if the team can't come up with a better option than Mrazek or Forsberg they will be in a world of trouble keeping the puck out of their net.

 

What's in the pipeline:

 

Crickets...

 

Ok, so no goalies are up and coming. The guy of the future was the big Jon Gillies but he was snagged in the expansion draft.

 

How this all looks on the depth chart:

 

Ondrej Palat - Sidney Crosby - Alexander Radulov

Gustav Nyqvist - Ryan Strome - Nick Bjugstad

Ivan Barbasev - Jack Roslovic - Riley Barber

Kevin Roy - Daniel O'Regan - Jeremy Langlois

Nikita Zadorov - Rasmus Ristolainen

Brooks Orpik - Nate Schmidt

Thomas Chabot - Jordan Schmaltz

Petr Mrazek

Anton Forsberg