Hey there.
Welcome to The Charge! Our new weekly newsletter covering all things Sabres.
Don’t worry, thechargingbuffalo.net isn’t going anywhere, this newsletter will just be an extension of our coverage.
Our website will still be active with day-to-day news and prospect articles. It’ll also host our Prospect Stat Tracker & Advanced Metric Tracking.
At The Charge, here’s what you can expect:
Every week, we’ll release 2-3 issues with bite-size analysis on all the latest Sabres news.
Combining analytic tidbits, infographics and brief summaries, read with your morning coffee and become the most knowledgable fan at the water cooler in under five minutes.
Consider this everything you need to know, all in one place.
On top of the compact weekly articles, expect an increase in long-form and deep-dive content once we get rolling.
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Now… Onto this year’s Sabres.
PS: For obvious reasons, this ‘season preview’ edition is slightly different than what you should come to expect.
Team Outlook
Kevyn Adams said it himself — it’s about building. The priority this season is to accumulate assets and provide opportunities to young talent.
“This is about us, as an organization, earning respect on a daily basis.” Adams said, “It’s about doing things right and it’s about building.”
Burning Questions
How does the Eichel situation end?
Do Cozens or Mittelstadt breakout?
Can Skinner return to form?
How long until UPL gets a shot?
The Elephant in the Room
At this point, the Eichel situation has been discussed at nauseam, and until there’s a solution, what else can you say?
The only thing left to ask is: how does it end?
Here’s what we know:
Neither the Sabres, nor Eichel, have backed off of their stance on which surgery is the best avenue: Fusion Surgery (BUF) or Artificial Disc Replacement (Eichel) — (Elliotte Friedman; Sportsnet)
The Sabres are open to placing conditional terms on an Eichel trade if necessary — (Pierre LeBrun; The Athletic)
With the assistance of new agent Pat Brisson, the Sabres have given Eichel’s medical information to interested teams. Some teams, including the Rangers, have would be on board with Eichel’s preference for treatment — (Elliotte Friedman; Sportsnet)
New Faces
(F) Vinnie Hinostroza — via free agency
(F) John Hayden — via free agency
(D) Will Butcher — via trade with NJ
(D) Robert Hagg — via trade with PHI
(G) Craig Anderson — via free agency
Old Friend Returns
(D) Mark Pysyk — via free agency
Key Players
Young centers
Dylan Cozens/Casey Mittelstadt
With Eichel out of the fold, the Sabres look to this pair of young centers to lead them down the middle. While a segment of fans eye Shane Wright, the Sabres will be watching these two closely, in hopes one emerges into a top-line center.
Mittelstadt had 17 points in the final 22 games under Don Granato.
Tage Thompson (?)
Who could’ve expected we’d be including Tage Thompson in a center discussion? He was tried down the middle during the preseason and actually didn’t look half-bad. While reluctant to seriously include him here, if he can stick at center, Granato might be on to something.
‘Scoring’ Wingers
Jeff Skinner/Victor Olofsson
Given the youth down the middle, it’s no exaggeration to say the Sabres are depending on these veteran wingers for goals. With no Ralph Krueger in sight, Skinner gets a chance to re-establish himself on the top line.
‘Complimentary’ Wingers
Anders Bjork/Vinnie Hinostroza
Supplementing the young centers and goal scorers, Bjork and Hinostroza will be fluid pieces in the top-6. Each of these players bring flexibility to the wing and are much less one-dimensional than Skinner or Olofsson. Each can drive play from the wing and support the young center they’re paired with.
Defenseman
Rasmus Dahlin
With McCabe and Ristolainen out of the picture, Dahlin takes over as the workhorse on the back-end.
Henri Jokiharju
Riding shotgun with Dahlin on the top pair, Jokiharju can cement himself as an anchor on this team for a long time.
Mattiass Samuelsson
Despite starting on season-opening IR, expect Samuelsson to make his way back into the lineup sooner rather than later. The Sabres love his game and have a rotating door on the left side of the third pair. Barring standout performances from Robert Hagg or Will Butcher, Samuelsson should settle back into a spot on the Sabres blue line.
Jacob Bryson
Similar to Samuelsson, it’s be a big year with plenty of opportunity for Bryson on a weak defensive group. With Owen Power and Ryan Johnson entering the discussion as early as next year, the left side of the blue line will be crowded before you know it.
Goaltenders
If we’re telling it how it is, the key piece in net this season is Luukkonen. Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski may be the difference between a couple of draft spots, but they’re in net because the Sabres are required to employ two goalies.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
UPL will get his chance in Buffalo — it’s just a matter of when. The real question lies in what Luukkonen does with that opportunity. There was once a time when UPL was the sole hope for the Sabres’ future in net, but that’s no longer a reality. With Devon Levi and Erik Portillo impressing in the NCAA, the next couple of seasons are UPL’s time to take over as the franchise goalie.
Game 1
Preseason Rankings
MON
xGF%: 43.91% (28th)
HDCF%: 47.73% (21st)
BUF
xGF%: 56.47% (8th)
HDCF%: 55.21% (9th)
Hot against the Habs
Rasmus Dahlin has 6 assists in 6 career games against Montreal.
Back-to-back
Kicking off their season last night, Montreal comes into this game already with a loss. Jake Allen made 28 saves on 31 shots in a 2-1 loss to Toronto.
Returning from time away due to anxiety issues, Jonathan Drouin scored the lone goal for the Habs.
Montreal without Carey Price
It was announced late last week that Canadiens’ star goaltender Carey Price will be away from the Canadiens for an indefinite period while voluntarily taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
Players to Watch:
Nick Suzuki (MTL) — Fresh off a breakout performance in the playoffs and a fat new contract, shutting down Suzuki should be mission number one for Buffalo on Thursday.
Casey Mittelstadt (BUF) — Mittelstadt starts the season as the Sabres’ top-line center following a strong preseason. Mittelstadt flourished under Granato last season and has breakout potential with additional ice time.
⚔️ Expected Lines:
Skinner - Mittelstadt - Hinostroza
Asplund - Thompson - Olofsson
Bjork - Cozens - Caggiula
Girgensons - Eakin - Okposo
Dahlin - Jokiharju
Bryson - Miller
Hagg - Pysyk
Anderson
Week Ahead
Saturday, October 16th vs Arizona | 1 PM
Tuesday, October 19th vs Vancouver | 7 PM