Conference: Eastern
Division: Atlantic
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Offseason
Additions: Eric Comrie, Ilya Lyubushkin, Riley Sheahan, Kale Clague, Chase Priskie, Jeremy Davies
Subtractions: Colin Miller, Cody Eakin, Mark Pysyk, Dustin Tokarski, Aaron Dell, Will Butcher, Drake Caggiula, Mark Jankowski, John Hayden, Arttu Ruotsalainen
The biggest addition to the Sabres' roster is Eric Comrie, who is expected to challenge for the majority of the starts this season. Other than that, however, the team opted to let their young players push into bigger roles instead of bringing in more top-end competition.
Injury Report
Probable For Opener: -None-
Questionable For Opener: -None-
Out To Begin Season: -None-
Out For Season: -None-
The Sabres expect to be fully healthy come the start of the season.
Projected Lineup
(league ranks in parentheses)
Forwards (31st)
Jeff Skinner - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Rasmus Asplund - Casey Mittelstadt - Victor Olofsson
Peyton Krebs - Dylan Cozens - Jack Quinn
Vinnie Hinostroza - Zemgus Girgensons - Kyle Okposo
Defense (29th)
Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power - Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson - Ilya Lyubushkin
Goalies (13th)
Eric Comrie
Craig Anderson
Buffalo's lineup, Comrie aside, does not project very well despite some optimism for this young roster to take a step forward this season. It's important to note that growth isn't always linear, so the prospect of Thompson to repeat or improve upon his offensive explosion last season is not certain.
Also, relying on rookies Power and Quinn as the really only impactful newcomers to essentially the same lineup last season isn't likely enough to shoot the Sabres up the position ranks. Historically, rookies at their respective ages do not have a huge impact on standings points, although their development over the course of the season is certainly exciting to follow.
Dynamic Players
Snipers: Peyton Krebs
Playmakers: Jeff Skinner | Alex Tuch | Victor Olofsson
Volume Shooters: Jeff Skinner | Alex Tuch | Tage Thompson
Play-Drivers: Owen Power
Shutdown Defenders: Rasmus Asplund
Shot Blockers: -None-
Hitters: -None-
Enforcers: -None-
Penalty Drawers: -None-
PP Specialists: -None-
PK Specialists: -None-
Faceoff Specialists: -None-
Fantasy Impact
Studs: -None-
Duds: -None-
Sleepers: Eric Comrie, Owen Power
Other Roster Worthy: Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Olofsson
There's not a lot here in terms of fantasy value, but the high shot-rates of the Skinner-Thompson-Tuch line certainly makes any of them viable in both season-long formats as well as daily fantasy as a cheaper stack option.
While Dahlin and Olofsson provide powerplay value, Power showed in his limited stint at the end of last season that his scoring at even-strength is enough to provide some fantasy value in a pinch. Comrie's per-game stats last season were very intruiging as well if you're looking for a late-round flier in net.
2022-2023 PuckLuck Projections | | | | | | | | |
PLAYER | POS | G | A | PTS | W | GA | SV | SO |
Jeff Skinner | F | 30 | 41 | 70 | | | | |
Alex Tuch | F | 20 | 43 | 63 | | | | |
Tage Thompson | F | 27 | 30 | 57 | | | | |
Victor Olofsson | F | 24 | 33 | 56 | | | | |
Rasmus Dahlin | D | 8 | 37 | 45 | | | | |
Owen Power | D | 25 | 27 | 52 | | | | |
Eric Comrie | G | | | | 17 | 107 | 1015 | 3 |
Betting Impact
PuckLuck Projection: 74 points
Floor: 62 points Ceiling: 93 points
Projection Data Confidence: 48%
(League Average: 70%)
PuckLuck Odds:
Stanley Cup: +200000
President's Trophy: +50000
Conference: +20000
Division: +10000
DraftKings Sportsbook Lines:
Stanley Cup: +15000
President's Trophy: +30000
Conference: +5500
Division: +7000
The small sample the league's youngest roster provides us makes it very difficult to project the Sabres this season, as referenced by our 31-point swing between the floor and ceiling for standings points. If everything clicks, a 93-point ceiling likely caps their playoff chances as slim, let alone anything enough to warrant a futures bet.
The Sabres were consistently strong on the over last season, due to their loose style of play and poor goaltending. Keep an eye on the variance this season of the team's goals against when Comrie is in net compared to Craig Anderson. There could be some value on the over if you catch sportsbooks sleeping on a night the 41 year-old backup is in.
Season Outlook
Division Projection: 8th
Conference Projection: 14th
League Projection: 27th
Playoffs? Doubtful
Placed in one of the toughest divisions, Buffalo is fighting an uphill battle to break their current playoff drought. Both Ottawa and Detroit - teams that finished behind them in the standings - made major moves in the offseason that will likely help them leapfrog the Sabres. Take into account the top four teams in the division from last season are projected to hold firm, and you're left with Buffalo and Montreal battling to stay out of the cellar.
The Sabres are probably a lottery team come next offseason once again, but the real measure of success should be in the development of their top prospects.
Will the Buffalo Sabres make the playoffs this season?
Yes
No
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