I don't think anyone expects Hutton to repeat his 2.09 gaa .931 sv% this season, but he will be better than Lehner. Can't forget to account the massive improvement in our defense from last year to this year (Dahlin alone, + continued growth of young guys coming up)
Hutton to me was a great signing because the term is reasonable, and he's a veteran who can show Ullmark the ropes, he's already stated how excited he is to work with him. Everything I've read about Hutton (and Berglund for that matter) as far as their personalities are concerned has been nothing but incredibly positive, which is a complete 180 from what was heard about ROR and Lehner.
While this chart is not the be-all-end-all proof that the Sabres will be better because Hutton will likely not repeat his season last year, I do for many reasons think our time in the basement of the league is over, starting this year.
Going to be another building year, which is frustrating on the surface obviously, but I think with all the dead cap coming off the books next year, and the 3 1st rd picks we have next year, Botts is targeting a big move for next off-season, and 2019-2020 should be the target for seriously competing for playoffs. It's a process - but it's a much better plan than GMTM's shitshow