I know a lot of us are (rightfully) down on this team right now, but one exciting thing is this season will have a ton of storylines to follow for our players. Most teams have settled rosters and the future outlook of players won't change much throughout the course of a season. Not Buffalo. This is is essentially a tryout year for most of our roster. How players will slot into the roster next year, the ceilings of certain players, and even whether some players will be on the team next are all questions that will be answered by the end of the season for a bunch of our players. Here are some interesting questions that will be fun to follow up on at the end of the season.
- Is Mitts a top 6 center going forward? Casey is either going to do enough to be seen as a legit top 6 center, or he is going to be looked at as a lesser player. This is his chance to seize a role.
- Is Tage Thompson a middle 6 center? This is a "make it or break it" year for our beloved giraffe. Our boy Tage has a ton of talent, but he has simply not produced. And he is about to be 24 this month. If Tage does not take the next step forward, I don't think he will be on the team next year.
- What's the deal with Bjork (25), Olofsson (26) , Asplund (23), and Hinostroza (27)? The role of these four wingers is entirely unclear of what they should be. Is Olofsson a powerplay specialist? Can Bjork score or is he nothing but a high energy 4th liner. Should Hinostroza be in the league? Is Asplund anything more than a depth player? It will be fun to learn where we should (or if we should) slot these guys on the wing.
- Is Skinner anything more than a cap anchor? Can Jeff Skinner rebound into being a 20 goal scorer at least? Or is he nothing but a liability.
- Does Dahlin take the next step forward? This is the age 21 season for Dahlin, it is time for him to take a big step forward defensively. And hopefully he finds a more consistent offensive game that disappeared under Ralph.
- Can Joker solidify himself as a top 4 defensemen? There have been some ups and downs with jokiharju since we stole him from Chicago. He is certainly trending upwards still in his career, but it'll be great if he can establish him self as a good top 4 defensemen this year.
- How do the young Rochester reinforcements look? Quinn, Weissbach, Peterka, Murray, Samuelsson, and Luukkonen all are expected to have big roles with the Americans. And all 6 will have a chance to break into the Sabres roster this year and next.
- Does Pysyk have a role going forward? He is only 29, and can show he belongs on an NHL team this year.
- Does Bryson belong in the NHL? We all saw the potential of Bryson last year...as well as his warts. It'll be fun to see how he performs.
- Can the Butcher reclaim his career? Butcher is at the end of the ropes it appears...being a cap dump to the Sabres is not a good sign. At only 26 years old, he has time to show that he can be a net positive player in the NHL.
- Can Ruotsalainen carve out a stop 9 spot? It may be a few games until he gets his shot, but R2 is 25 years old and the time is now if he is going to become an NHL scoring player.
- Will Cozens take the next stop forward? Cozens is going to be asked to do a bunch this year, and he may not have the best linemates to do it. It is by no means a make or break year for Cozens, but hopefully he continues to trend up.
