As we all know, the Ville Leino contract has turned out to be a huge bust so far. Many have wondered why the Sabres haven't bought him out, but instead Buffalo said goodbye to Nathan Gerbe.
Leino has obviously not had much success since he's been with the Sabres, and that's an easy way to get on the fans' bad side. After a breakout season with Philadelphia (19 goals, 34 assists), those numbers were cut in half during the next season with Buffalo. This past season, Leino played in just eight games due to injuries, putting up six points. That's not fair to blame him for last season.
The Sabres did take a risk with the contract, signing him to a cap hit of $4.5M each year through 2017. At the time of the signing, I was a fan of it, because I believed Leino would be a solid addition to the team, and I still think he can be. I know there aren't many who feel like he can contribute regularly, but I think the best is yet to come.
When Leino came here, he was unfamiliar with the organization and may have needed some time to adapt. That's fine, but it took longer than planned, and still is. Leino played under head coach Lindy Ruff and didn't have the best results on the ice. Ruff even moved Leino out of his natural position, and kept switching him from center to wing.
If Leino were to play a full season at his natural position, which he hasn't had the opportunity to yet, I believe he could have a very productive year.
You can see from the stats above that he had quite a season with Philadelphia, and a great playoff performance months before. He really never settled in with the Red Wings, and excelled with the Flyers.
Basically, in my view, Leino had one bad season with Buffalo, and that was his first year. This year, he has a new coach, he should be healthy and hopefully he can remain at his natural position.
It's aggravating and embarrassing when a risky signing goes this bad, but there's still four years left on his contract and Leino will be 30 in October. This is more than likely the biggest contract he will get. Leino has to prove that he's worth it, which will be very tough to do.
He may be a buyout candidate, and perhaps already is for the future, but I believe Leino will step up his game this season. He needs to, or he could very well be gone.
Assuming he plays a full season (or a majority of it), I can see Leino reaching the 20-goal plateau, along with 20-25 assists. I'm going out on a limb and saying that #23 will have a great season. Not only that, but a healthy season as well.
However, if he fails to produce points, I'd say this is it for him. It's a make or break season for Leino. I, for one, am hoping that he can come through and deliver. It's time for Ville Leino to make a statement.
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