Five Bold Sabres Predictions for 2019-20
The Buffalo Sabres are coming off of yet another disappointing season where they missed the postseason. They fired head coach Phil Housley in the offseason and hired Ralph Krueger as the new bench boss. The talent to make a postseason push is on the roster, but they just haven’t managed to put everything together the last few seasons. The Sabres have lacked depth at the forward position, but with the addition of some veteran free agents and prospects, the scoring should be a problem.
Jack Eichel staying healthy and producing is going to be a big part of how the team does this season. The goaltending is probably the shakiest part of the team, but the battle between Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark will be one to watch. There will be a prospect or two that makes the roster and players who have bounce-back seasons. Here are my five bold predictions for the Sabres 2019-20 season.
1) Jack Eichel Hits 100 Points
Yes, this has been a bold prediction the past season or two for me, but this year will be different. Eichel will remain healthy, on the ice, and will produce with this wingers. His left winger may vary during the season, but Sam Reinhart should be a staple on the right side, unless he’s out injured or gets in a rut. Eichel will get ample power play and even strength time this season so getting 100 points should be attainable for him.
Eichel can either snipe the puck or set up one of his teammates for a goal, which will help him get to 100 points this season. If he can get open on the power play, his rocket of a shot should help him get some goals. He has the patience to let the play develop in front of him before making a decision with the puck and that should also help him rack up some points. In all, if Eichel can manage to stay healthy and put everything together he should be one of the top scorers in the NHL.
2) Linus Ullmark Takes Over the Crease
The goaltending battle between Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton will likely be one of the better storylines to follow this season. The goalies weren’t exactly good last season, but they also faced a lot of untested shots coming from opposing players who just happened to be wide open. Hutton is a career backup goaltender, but he had a few good seasons for the St. Louis Blues and he was awarded a contract to be the Sabres’ starting goalie. His numbers in his first season with the Sabres were anything but spectacular as he posted a 18-25-5 record to go with a 3.00 goals against average and .908 save percentage in 50 games played.
Ullmark didn’t show much last season when he was given the opportunity. He was 15-14-5 with a 3.11 goals against average and .905 save percentage in 37 games. There isn’t anything particular that brought on this prediction, but Ullmark is entering his fifth professional season in North America and the team in front of him should be better defensively. Ullmark will be given the chance at some point to take the number one job, and he will do it.
3) Dylan Cozens On Opening Night Roster
There has been a bit of a competition going on during training camp and preseason to play on the top line with Eichel and Reinhart. The two candidates are Dylan Cozens and Victor Olofsson. The coaching staff has liked what it has seen from Olofsson, but Cozens is also making his case. Olofsson is a natural left wing, while Cozens is a natural center, but he can play the wing. The two kids are still on the roster after the latest round of cuts.
Cozens was the eighth pick overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He signed his entry level deal, but then injured his thumb during practice. The injury was healed in time for the start of training camp with the big club and he has impressed. Cozens is on the roster to start the season because of the speed and versatility that he can bring to the lineup. The 18-year-old also plays a solid two-way game and can win some face-offs.
4) Rasmus Ristolainen Remains On Roster
In the offseason, there were rumors galore about the Sabres possibly trading defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The trade never happened so now it’s time for Ristolainen to prove that he belongs on this team, and can be an effective all around defenseman. The 24-year-old is entering his sixth NHL season, and needs to show that he can be that shutdown, number one defenseman that the Sabres desperately need. Even with the addition of Colin Miller this summer, Ristolainen will still be relied on daily to eat up some major minutes on the blue line.
Ristolainen can skate well and he needs to get a little more active in the offensive zone to get a shot through to the net. The biggest key to Ristolainen’s game is to play simple, don’t try to do too much. In seasons past, he has had that pressure on him to be the number one guy, but this season he will have Miller, Montour and McCabe to help take that pressure off of him. Ristolainen doesn’t need to go out of his way to make the big hit, just play the puck and avoid being taken out of the play. With some of the pressure taken off of him, Ristolainen will be able to finally play his game and help the Sabres be competitive to the end.
5) Kyle Okposo Scores 30 Goals
Yes, this is really going out on a limb, but if Kyle Okposo can remain healthy then there is a good chance he can reach the 30 goal plateau. He will likely see second or third line minutes at even strength, but he should also see some power play time. Okposo isn’t afraid to shoot the puck and that will help his chances to get to 30 goals this season. The forward isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas to score goals and that improves his chances of scoring.
The biggest issue for Okposo will be staying healthy and not going into any major slump. He has underperformed in his time with the Sabres, mainly due to injuries. His potential linemates could be Marcus Johansson and Jeff Skinner. If this line sticks then Okposo would really have a decent shot at 30 goals even if Skinner is the shooter on this line. The opposition will be focusing on Skinner and that will leave Okposo and Johansson open to get some quality chances.
