In the 2016-2017 NHL season, the Buffalo Sabres continued to develop and grow a young team into a potential playoff team. The Sabres missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season, finishing with a record of 33-37-12 and earning less wins than the season before despite the additions of Kyle Okposo, Robin Lehner, and Dmitry Kulikov. In April of 2017, the Sabres released Head Coach Dan Bylsma after a rumor leaked that players were not fond of their coach and would not sign extensions if he remained in Buffalo. The team proceeded to hire Phil Housley, a Sabres legend; Housley served as an assistant coach for the Nashville Predators, working with defensemen. The team also hired Jason Botterill as the new General Manager. Buffalo had quite an off season bringing in some new players but losing some notable players as well. Here is a look at them:

Notable Departures:

Tyler Ennis- Left Winger:

Ennis was drafted by the Sabres in 2008. He’s had a full-time roster spot on the team since the 2010-2011 season and reached the 20 goal mark three times in his career with Buffalo. He didn’t have a great season last year as he only put up five goals and eight assists in 51 games. He was traded to the Minnesota Wild.

Marcus Foligno- Left Winger:

Alongside Ennis, Foligno was traded to Minnesota. He had a bottom-six role in Buffalo and served as a power forward who was very physical, unafraid to fight and stand up for players on his team. He posted 13 goals and 10 assists in 80 games last season. Foligno had been a member of the Sabres for the last six seasons.

Dmitry Kulikov- Defenseman:

Kulikov was acquired by the Sabres from the Florida Panthers in June of 2016. He had missed the majority of last season with injuries and Buffalo decided not to renew his contract. He had two goals and three assists in 47 games last season.

Anders Nilsson- Goaltender:

Nilsson served as the Sabre’s backup goaltender last season. He had the best season of his career appearing in 26 games, posting a record of 10-10-4, a goals against average of 2.67and save percentage of .923.

Notable Newcomers:

Jason Pominville- Right Winger:

Pominville was drafted by the Sabres in the 2001 draft. He became a full-time member at the start of the 2005-2006 season and played for the team up until he was traded to Minnesota in 2013 during the lockout season. He served as the captain of the Sabres from 2011-2013 and was named an All-Star in 2012. Last season he posted 13 goals and 34 assists in 78 games.

Marco Scandella- Defenseman:

Scandella was also part of the exchange with Minnesota. Scandella has been with the Wild since the 2010-2011 season and plays a two-way defensive role. Last season he put up four goals and nine assists in 71 games.

Nathan Beaulieu- Defenseman:

Beaulieu is another two-way defenseman acquired via trade by the Sabres. He had a career year with the Canadiens, recording four goals and 24 assists in 74 games.

Chad Johnson- Goaltender:

Johnson was a member of the Sabres during the 2015-2016 season. He posted terrific numbers but joined the Calgary Flames in the off season. With Calgary, he briefly had a starting role and posted a record of 18-15-1, a goals against average of 2.59 and save percentage of .910.

Benoit Pouliot- Left Winger

Pouliot has jumped around the league these past few seasons making stops in Boston, New York, Tampa Bay and Edmonton. He signed a one year deal with the Sabres after a drop off year where he scored eight goals and registered six assists in 67 games. He’s there to offer a veteran’s presence in the locker room and play a depth role.

Projected Offensive Lines:

Line 1: Kane-O’Reilly-Okposo

Line 2: Moulson-Eichel-Reinhart

Line 3: Pouliot-Girgensons-Pominville

Line 4: Deslauriers-Josefson-Larsson

Projected Defensive Lines:

Line 1: Gorges-Ristolainen

Line 2: Beaulieu-Bogosian

Line 3: Scandella-McCabe

Projected Goaltenders:

Starter: Lehner

Backup: Johnson

The 2017-2018 Story: With Phil Housley as the Head Coach of the Sabres, Will Buffalo Improve Defensively?

Housley did a terrific job with the defensive core in Nashville helping them get to the Stanley Cup Final this past season. The Sabres have struggled on the defensive side of the ice for the past few seasons and fans are no stranger to it. Last season, the team finished 19th overall in goals against per game with an average of 2.82 and a total of 231 scored against Buffalo. Goaltenders Robin Lehner and Ander Nilsson statistically had good seasons, each with a save percentage of .920 or higher. If the Sabres could reduce the shots against them, it would naturally lead to fewer goals against. So what does Housley bring to the table and can he help the Sabres out?

Prediction:

Housley is a hall of famer who was a terrific defender as a player. Buffalo has that going for them. The additions of Scandella and Beaulieu will also be a plus since both of them come from playoff teams and play two-way games which could even help offensively. During his four seasons in Nashville, the Predators were in the top 15 three times in the goals against category. The one time they weren’t was during the 2013-2014 season when Pekka Rinne was injured and they had Carter Hutton and Marek Mazanec play a majority of the games; Rinne played in only 24 games that season. My prediction is that the Sabres will improve defensively and give up fewer goals this season, however, they will still finish the season in mid-30 win range. Their offense will need to improve as well since they were 24th in the league in scoring last season. With players like Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Rasmus Ristolainen that are improving each season and putting up more scoring, Buffalo won’t have to worry about the defense if they have an offense that can help steal games. The Sabre’s struggles may continue this season, but with Housley as the head of the team, the dark days may be ending sooner rather than later.

Featured Image via NHL.com