Sports: Let's Go Buffalo

Sabres Season Preview

By Patrick Broadwater

Terry Pegula is proving to be a man of his word.

     When he was introduced as the new owner of the Buffalo Sabres in February, the billionaire natural gas executive and arguably the franchise’s most passionate fan promised that the financial shackles would come off. And did they ever.

     Following a disappointing first-round playoff exit, Pegula approved a $150 million spending spree that not only included renovations of the Sabres’ home arena, but provided a facelift to the on-ice product. as well. In his first off-season as owner, Pegula’s personal visit to the home of longtime Calgary defenseman Robyn Regehr convinced him to waive his no-trade clause and head east. And, for the first time in recent memory, the club made a big splash in the free agent market, signing high-scoring defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and playoff nemesis Ville Leino.

But just as importantly, instead of pleading poverty and watching their best homegrown talent walk, the Sabres re-signed a number of key parts to multiple-year deals, including Drew Stafford, Nathan Gerbe, Mike Weber, Jhonas Enroth, and their young franchise defenseman Tyler Meyers, who got a pre-emptive contact extension that will keep him in Buffalo through the 2018-19 season.

     However unlikely it may seem, the Sabres will begin the season as one of the NHL’s leaders in player salaries. Of course, money alone doesn’t solve problems. But Pegula and all the other Sabres fans who would love to be in his place know that it sure can help make things easier. The immediate impact is that it has solidified a core of talent and experience for a three-year window. And keeping that group together for at least that long just might make another Pegula promise come true: The one about winning multiple Stanley Cups.

     Here’s a look at the 2011-12 Buffalo Sabres by position:

FORWARDS

LW Thomas Vanek, who ranked in the top 20 in the NHL in both goals (32) and points (73), was by far Buffalo’s top offensive threat a year ago as he continued his maturation into an all-around player. His only equal, in terms of production, was C Derek Roy, who was scoring at a point-per-game clip before a torn quad ended his season in December. Injuries also hampered Stafford (31 goals) and Jason Pominville (22 goals), but they still combined for 104 points. Leino, who played LW for the Flyers, moves to his more natural position of center, while LW Tyler Ennis (20 goals) and Nathan Gerbe (16) hope to build on strong rookie campaigns. The Sabres will also get a full season out of Brad Boyes, a former 40-goal scorer they acquired at last year’s trade deadline.)

DEFENSEMEN


The Sabres have a deep group at defense with six NHL regulars and a rookie who led the club in scoring in the playoffs. Ehrhoff, who ranked sixth among NHL defensemen in goals last year (14), was a huge signing for the Sabres. A stalwart on some very good Vancouver teams, he brings an excellent shot with him, which should be a big boost on the power play. Regehr, a stay-at-home defender, played 11 seasons in Calgary and should see plenty of minutes on the penalty kill. Myers struggled early in his sophomore season but rebounded to finish with 10 goals, 37 points and an even plus-minus rating. Marc-Andre Gragnani could work his way into the lineup after posting a team-leading seven points against the Flyers in the post-season.

GOALIES

Expect to see a little less of Ryan Miller this year. Coming off his Vezina-winning season a year ago, he was only very good in 2010-11. He finished with 34 wins and five shutouts, but his goals against of 2.59 didn’t rank in the top 30 in the league. Enroth, who became the de facto backup when coach Lindy Ruff lost faith in Patrick Lalime, inherits the job full time this year. He should get 15-20 starts, giving Miller a little more rest than he’s had in years past!

 Quick Facts

 2010-11 Record: 43-29-10, 96 points (7th in Eastern Conference, 15th in NHL; lost in 1st round of playoffs to Philadelphia, 4 games to 3)

Offense: 2.93 goals per game (9th in NHL); 19.4 power play percentage (9th)

Defense: 2.78 goals allowed per game (18th); 83.0 penalty kill percentage (13th)

Key New Additions: C Ville Leino (Philadelphia), D Robyn Regehr (Calgary), D Christian Ehrhoff (Vancouver)

Notable Departures: C Tim Connolly, D Steve Montador, RW Mike Grier, G Patrick Lalime

 Games to Watch:

 Fri., Oct. 7, 1:00 pm: ANAHEIM at Helsinki, Finland & Sat., Oct. 8, 2:00 pm: vs. Los Angeles at Berlin, Germany – Buffalo’s 41st NHL season kicks off in Europe.

Fri., Oct. 14, 7:30 pm: CAROLINA – Home opener at the First Niagara Center.

Tues., Nov. 8, 7:00 pm: WINNIPEG – First game against the Jets v2.0.

Sat., Dec. 31, 7:00 pm: OTTAWA – New Year’s Eve shindig against the Senators.

Wed., Feb. 8, 7:30 pm: BOSTON – Matchup with the defending Stanley Cup champs kicks off a string of 8 of 9 games at home.

Sat., March 3, 10:00 pm: at Vancouver – Ehrhoff’s return game and Buffalo’s only meeting with the Canucks.

Sat., April 7, 3:00 pm: at Boston – Season finale.