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| Thursday, June 28 Updated: July 23, 4:16 PM ET Sabres moving in a youthful direction By Brian A. Shactman ESPN.com |
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It was another vintage season for the Buffalo Sabres -- a solid regular season followed by a feisty postseason run which fell short of the Stanley Cup. Not Dom Perignon, but not Sutter Home, either. The Sabres held on to captain Mike Peca, who held out the entire season, instead of trading him. They also kept Dominik Hasek, who they knew they couldn't afford once his option year kicked in for $9 million, because he was the key element to a Cup run. But if they were that close to a Cup, why didn't they trade Peca for a player that would have helped them in the postseason? Regardless, the Sabres finished the season 78 seconds away from the conference finals and remain a solid top-tier team.
With the departure of Hasek and Peca, two of Buffalo's central figures from their 1999 Stanley Cup finals appearance, so goes the odds of Buffalo getting back to the finals any time soon. If he recovers from whatever illness hospitalized him in the Czech Republic, Hasek will backstop the aging but ever-competitive Red Wings. Peca, who landed on Long Island in a trade for Taylor Pyatt and Tim Connolly, two first-round picks from 1999, is expected to be the next captain of the Islanders. As of mid-July, he hadn't signed with them, either, although his $3.5-4 million asking price now looks like chump change. But Buffalo's future isn't gloomy -- it's just going to take some time for the youthful mist to burn off as the Sabres begin developing some big-time young talent. The Sabres expect Martin Biron to step in for Hasek. Although he'll turn 24 in August and he's replacing the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Biron has been with the team for parts of four years and possesses the talent of a No. 1 netminder. Connolly is an up-state New Yorker with a boatload of potential. If coach Lindy Ruff finds a way to tap into the 20-year old's talent, the Sabres will have four excellent centers with Chris Gratton, Stu Barnes, Curtis Brown and Connolly. The presence of three other competent centers also takes some pressure off Connolly, who was called upon to center one of the top two lines last season with the Islanders. The loss of Steve Heinze, Dave Andreychuk and Donald Audette to free agency leaves the wing position a little thin, but it saved the team money. Vyacheslav Kozlov, who scored 20 goals for Detroit last season, should pick up some slack on the left side. J.P. Dumont, 23, and Pyatt, who will turn 20 in August, will get the opportunity to increase their playing time and prove they're ready for the NHL prime time. Miroslav Satan and Vaclav Varada provide the depth on the right side, but it's time for Maxim Afinogenov to start finishing off his offensive opportunities. The 21-year old shows flashes of brilliance, but at some point the flashes need to produce goals. The Sabres will be deep on defense, yet lack one distinct presence. Not every team can have a Rob Blake or Chris Pronger, but the Sabres need someone to help establish an identity for the unit. Rhett Warrener is just 25, but he has 368 games of NHL experience and could be primed to assume a larger role. Brian Campbell and recently signed Henrik Tallinder will challenge for some playing time on defense, yet with James Patrick, Richard Smehlik, Jason Woolley, Jay McKee and Alexei Zhitnik, there might not be much time to be had. Even without Hasek, Peca and the bevy of older forwards from last season, Buffalo should be competitive. To be playoff competitive, however, players like Warrener and Brown need to grow into strong leaders. With the stockpile of youngsters, the Sabres have great material for a trade-deadline deal to shore up a playoff run if they find themselves on the fringe of the top eight in the East. Yet, without an identifiable star at any one position, the Sabres will be hard pressed to challenge Philadelphia and New Jersey atop the Eastern Conference. Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. |
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