The Buffalo Sabres have reached an agreement with Matt Ellis on a two year, two way deal. This was expected after Regier talked about it in yesterday's press conference.
There has been a lot going on in Buffalo over the past season. Who knew that we'd see Lindy Ruff fired (and headed to Dallas) and captain Jason Pominville traded away? Today, Nathan Gerbe has been bought out.
As we approach free agency on Friday, Darcy Regier could very well trade Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek.
Futures of stars uncertain
Both Miller and Vanek have played for eight seasons in Buffalo and have never been on a team other than the Sabres. With the Sabres working on rebuilding, it may be necessary to make the trade to acquire some younger talent via prospects or draft picks.
It would certainly make for a whole new Sabres team, especially without Miller between the pipes. While Miller hasn't been performing as many would like, he has still been able to record a .915 save percentage or better in each of the past three seasons. But there are goaltenders playing better than him, too.
At 32 years old and with one year remaining on his contract, Miller may be better suited on another team. Plus, the Sabres have Jhonas Enroth waiting in the wings, who could take the starting job or possibly split time with Matt Hackett, who the Sabres acquired in the Pominville trade.
Stocking up on defense
The Sabres utilized a pair of 1st round picks to draft two solid defensemen on Sunday. Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov both left the Draft stage with blue and gold.
The Sabres also traded away Andrej Sekera and acquired Jamie McBain from Carolina.
While it is not certain whether Ristolainen and Zadorov will both make the team next season, Buffalo now has the option of trading a defenseman such as Tyler Myers.
The Sabres have plenty of help at the blue line, and they could set up a nice defensive core in the next few years, but they could also use a couple of those players as trade bait.
An all-new look
Besides the fact that the Sabres will be getting new 3rd jerseys this season, Buffalo is changing.
Regardless of whether or not Vanek and Miller get traded, the Sabres are going to look much different than they have in the past, especially in the next 2-3 years. Players like Steve Ott and Cody Hodgson could make big impacts, where Buffalo used to rely on players like Derek Roy and Jason Pominville. We saw how that worked out.
The Sabres have good, young talent, in the works. With Ron Rolston as head coach, Buffalo will play its first full season without Lindy Ruff.
A new era
The Sabres core from a few years ago is almost completely gone. All that remains on offense is Thomas Vanek. Buffalo will need to find some more offense, and may get some help from players that were in Rochester last season.
Any time a team gets rid of the coach and captain in the same season, it's basically a new beginning.
When Terry Pegula first bought the team in 2011, fans had high hopes that the Sabres would quickly be successful, but no one could have seen the turn of events that occurred in this lockout-shortened season.
While the Sabres may become better down the road, fans may have to put their playoff hopes on hold a bit longer. With the new division alignment, Buffalo will have their work cut out for them. Tampa Bay, Florida and Detroit will join the Sabres conference and Buffalo will need to be better than a lot of teams.
Change is necessary and it is happening. The Sabres are heading in the right direction, but how far will they be able to go down the line?
The Sabres have missed the playoffs for the past two seasons. They have only missed the postseason in three or more consecutive years once, from 2001-2003. Buffalo will hope to keep that trend going with a bounce back campaign this year.
Thanks for reading!
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