[The Buffalo News] Courrier des Sabres : Lindy Ruff peut-il faire de Buffalo l’une des meilleures équipes défensives de la LNH ?

2 Comments

1. seeldoger47 3 mois ago

   >**Patrick asks:** Do the Sabres believe that Jason Zucker will skate on their second line?

   >**Lysowski:** The Sabres view Zucker as someone who will thrive on the second or third line, and it’s likely that his $5 million salary will give him the first opportunity to skate next to Thompson or Cozens. It’s a calculated gamble after a season in which Zucker had 14 goals with the former Arizona Coyotes and Nashville Predators in the regular season. The 32-year-old winger has reached the 20-goal mark only once since 2019, but he produced 27 goals only two seasons ago with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Teammates love his personality and work ethic. Zucker gets to the front of the net and excels at creating offense off the rush. He’s a better fit for a top-six role than Zach Benson at this stage of the 19-year-old’s career.

   >**Ben asks:** When will Terry Pegula sell the Sabres?

   >**Lysowski:** Not anytime soon. Pegula recently invested in expensive upgrades to KeyBank Center and agreed to give expensive, long-term contract extensions to multiple players. His actions across the past few years run counter to what we typically see from an owner as they are preparing to sell a professional sports franchise.
   The rumors around town and on social media will persist until fans hear from Pegula that he’s committed long-term to the franchise.

   >**Erma asks:** Are the Sabres capable of ranking among the top five in goals against with Ruff as coach?

   >**Lysowski:** Such a scenario would require the Sabres to avoid any prominent injuries, receive top-notch goaltending from their young tandem and develop a No. 1 defense pair that can shut down top lines in various situations. I don’t see it happening. This team is still too young and inexperienced. Does it have the potential to get there in future seasons if Ruff remains and the foundation of the roster sticks? Absolutely. The top players on defense are still a bit too green for me to envision this happening soon, though.
   The Sabres don’t need to be in the top five in my opinion. There are enough capable goal-scorers. The challenge for Ruff and his coaching staff will be to get this team to avoid the slow start that plagued some of its top players, and the power play must be in the top half of the league. There’s too much skill for Buffalo to be ineffective with a man advantage.

   >**Boogie asks:** What’s the holdup with Peyton Krebs’ contract and where does he fit on this roster?

   >**Lysowski:** Good question. It’s important to remember that other players in similar situations are still waiting to be signed. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, for example, had to wait until late August for a contract in 2022. There’s still a spot for Krebs on this team. He’d fit well as the fourth-line center between Beck Malenstyn and Sam Lafferty or Nicolas Aube-Kubel, though such a scenario may cause one of the latter two free-agent signings to be a healthy scratch.
   Ruff will love Krebs’ tenacity and competitiveness. He still has the skill set and potential to become a solid bottom-six center.

   >**Jenn asks:** Will the power play be better this season, and what do they need to do strategically to score more often on the man advantage?

   >**Lysowski:** The Sabres didn’t add anyone this summer who can help in that area, so they’re going to rely on their young players to contribute on the power play after they failed to do so with Granato as coach. Buffalo will need Quinn, Peterka, Benson, Power and Byram to excel for the club to rank in the top half of the league on the man advantage. The Sabres need more shots on goal, a reliable net-front presence and a less-predictable approach. Stop force-feeding the puck to the flanks for one-timers. Plus, Dahlin must be more poised quarterbacking the top unit. His tendency to try to do too much can lead to turnovers and short-handed goals against.

   >**Rick asks:** Is it reasonable to assume the Sabres will be a more defense-oriented team with Ruff as coach?

   >**Lysowski:** Don’t expect the Sabres to play the way they did under Ruff in the late 1990s. They’ll be fast and aggressive like Buffalo was under Granato but with more defensive structure.

2. Roll_DM 3 mois ago

   It’s the most expensive defense in the NHL and the goaltending has really solidified, i expect them to be a top 5 defense this year