By Jason Phillips
The Sabres are off to a disappointing start, and most likely their form will continue throughout the year. They have a lack in offensive production. The team’s new editions have also had mixed results in the early season. Josh Georges and Brian Gionta have performed to the level that fans and the front office have expected. On the other hand Matt Moulson, Andre Mezaroes, and Andre Benoit have been disappointing to say the least. Moulson who was traded away by the Sabres at least years deadline after being acquired in the Thomas Vanek trade early in the season. Moulson this offseason signed a 5 year deal with the Sabres and has not really performed to the level he did last year. Andre Mezaros has been struggling, and he’s been benched several times as a result of his lackluster performances. He looks weak on the puck, unable to make passes out of the zone, and just overall a step behind the whole game. Benoit to me has played the same as Mezaros.
Many fans believe that the Sabre’s goal this season should be to obtain the first pick, who will most likely be Connor McDavid. McDavid has averaged four points a game in juniors this year. His offensive production right now is better than the Sabre’s roster. The team has three first round picks this year, and they want to do everything in the world to assure they are as high in the draft as possible. Unlike last year, when they were “screwed” by the new NHL draft lottery even though they weren’t because they would have taken Reinhart anyways. Also, he showed us he wasn’t ready and was sent back down to juniors. The thing to look at for the Sabres this season is if they try and trade some of the older veterans away at the end of the year and bring up some young guys from Rochester and try to weed out who can play in NHL as opposed to the AHL. All and all the Sabres’ aren’t going to make the playoffs this year, and their main goal is to get Connor McDavid.
