Sabres Could Provide Dangerous Depth In 2008-2009

Club: Buffalo Sabres
Fantasy Impact Rating: Warm

Superstars: None
Big Producers: Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Tim Connolly
Mid-Level Flyers: Jochen Hecht, Drew Stafford, Craig Rivet, Jaroslav Spacek
Rookies/Prospects: Jhonas Enroth, Tim Kennedy, Nathan Gerbe
Sleepers: Clarke MacArthur
Avoid the Hype: Maxim Afinogenov

Analysis:
4 lines of fantasy worthy players combined with some of the top prospects in the league make the Buffalo Sabres ripe for fantasy picking in 2008-2009.

After losing Daniel Briere and Chris Drury two years ago and trying to find a groove last season, the Sabres should bounce back this year to offer up some serious production value. The nice thing about Buffalo’s top line for any fantasy manager is they certainly don’t have the luster of other top lines around the league. Use this to your advantage in your draft and scope some of these players starting somewhere in the 3rd round. Thomas Vanek had a bit of an off season last year and still managed to tally 64 points. He’s going to have dynamite season this year, and should be able to hit the 40 goal mark. Look for him to capitalize immensely on the power play as well. Derek Roy will be centering the first line for the Sabres and is another player that might fly under the radar during your draft. Roy broke out with Buffalo last year, lighting the lamp 32 times and adding 42 helpers. He may not hit that stride again this year, but he’ll certainly hover around it. You could use him as your number one center, but you might be able to get him late enough to where you could use him as a number 2 center, and still enjoy all the benefits of a number one. Jason Pominville will be anchoring Buffalo’s right side on the top line and much like Roy, could be overlooked come draft day. Pominville broke out as well last season and emerged as a stellar option at right wing for fantasy managers. Again, like Roy, he may not hit 80 points like he did last season, but he’ll certainly hover closely to it. You can use him as a number one, but draft him as a 2nd option and soak up the production. Pommer very well may drop to the latter half of the early rounds, so keep a watchful eye on him.

Whatever you do this season, please be careful if you’re considering Tim Connolly during your draft. There is little doubt that Connolly can potentially put up 70+ points in a season. The only problem is making it through the duration of the season without getting injured. Timmy C has had some serious injuries stemming from a series of concussions, as well as other general injuries. He’s very similar to Martin Havlat in the sense that they both could be top scorers if they were just able to play a season in its entirety. If healthy, Connolly should have a 60+ point season. However, it’s very likely he’ll go down this season at least once, and if he catches another big hit, his career may be in jeopardy. He’s high risk, high reward for right now, so treat him as a depth option at center so case he does catch an injury.

Jochen Hecht, Drew Stafford, Craig Rivet and Jaroslav Spacek could all be solid choices in the middle rounds of a 12 manager draft. With the departure of all-star defenseman Brian Campbell, the Buffalo Sabres look to newly aquired veteran Craig Rivet for help at the point this season. Rivet and Jaro Spacek will be Buffalo’s source of points from the blue line this year, but treat them as a second option at defense until we see how well they can manage the power play. The Sabres’ young defensive core doesn’t pack a significant offensive punch, so the pressure to perform from the point will be on Rivet and Spacek this year.

Jochen Hecht would be a solid option as a 3rd line left winger as he should be able to break the 50 point mark this season. Along side of him will be Tim Connolly and Drew Stafford on the far side. Stafford will be playing in good company this year and will certainly improve on his effort from last year with 2nd line honors. 50 points is certainly not out of the question for Drew this season and the nice thing about him is that you could easily use him as a 4th option at right wing.

One player worth considering in deeper fantasy format is Clarke MacArthur. MacArthur definitely has a solid upside since he is a bit more proven at a variety of different levels. MacArthur should be able to make his way to the third line this season and depending on if anyone above him goes down with an injury, he could ascend to the 2nd line. Remember, though, only in deeper formats. He’s still young and has a lot to prove before we can consider him anything more.

Buffalo offers some premier prospects for consideration in keeper/dynasty leagues. Tim Kennedy, T.J. Brennan and Nathan Gerbe are all notables and could be considered solid, long term investments. Tim Kennedy has the biggest upside of all three of these players so far. Kennedy is lightning quick and has shown us a point per game production at the collegiate level. Whether that transfers over to the NHL remains to be seen, but if you do catch Kennedy in a Sabres uniform this season, throw him on your watch list for a week or so and see what he’s up to. Try not to let Nathan Gerbe’s 5 foot, 5 inch frame deter you from considering him as a serious prospect. Gerbe was an elite player at the collegiate level and if given the chance, could make a serious splash in Buffalo at some point this season. Treat him as you do Kennedy, and hope to see some serious production down the road.

Goaltending:
Situation: Rock Solid
Grade: B
1. Ryan Miller
2. Patrick Lalime

Ryan Miller is a surefire bet in goal for any fantasy team this season. He’ll be Buffalo’s main man over the next several years and should have a young, productive squad around him to lock up a healthy amount of wins. Feel free to use him as your number one goaltender and see if he can top the 36 wins he notched last season. One thing to watch out for if you do decide on Miller is that with a young defense in front of him, he may have a higher goals against average that most number one goaltenders. The Sabres brought in veteran backup Patrick Lalime this off-season, which could take some of the pressure off of Miller throughout the season. Miller will still see a majority of the starts, but shouldn’t be as worn out as he was last year coming down the stretch. Despite the rock solid situation in net, Buffalo has a dynamite prospect in the system that is sure to turn heads. Jhonas Enroth could very well could be the Sabres next franchise goaltender and only being 20, he can still take a few years to develop further and polish his game. Don’t consider him even in dynasty leagues just yet, but keep the name in the back of your head for now.

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