BY: KEVIN BOGDAN
Reason One: The Captain
Need I say more? Jack has proven himself to be an elite center in the NHL with the ability to take over games on demand. Increasing his points per game totals in every season of his career, Eichel can easily put up 100 points in a full 82 game season. Even though this upcoming season will only be 56 games, Jack will be over a point per game, especially with Taylor Hall on his wing.
Reason Two: Depth at Wing
Taylor Hall is going to have a field day being on the left side of Jack Eichel. His addition to the team allows the Sabres to move Olofsson to right wing. Having 2 lethal snipers on either side of Jack will be goals galore. Coach Krueger also can keep the Reinhart/Eichel chemistry together and move Olofsson to the second line with Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal. The possibilities are endless with the line combinations that Ralph Krueger will have with the talent upfront on this team.
Reason Three: Rasmus Dahlin takes over defense
Over the last hand full of years, Rasmus Ristolainen has led the Sabres in time on ice. That needs to change this season. Rasmus Dahlin is going into his third NHL season, and he is ready to break out. He is one of those special players that needs to be let off his leash and put in that number one defenseman role. If Dahlin makes a big jump in production and overall reliability on the back end, the Sabres will be in a good position to succeed.
Reason Four: Linus Ullmark finds his consistency
Linus Ullmark has the potential to be a number one goalie in this league. The thing that held him back in previous seasons is his consistency. Maybe with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on the cusp of making the NHL squad, it will put some pressure on Linus to perform on a nightly basis to prove that it is his job to lose.
Reason Five: Royal Blue
We are no longer under the navy-blue curse of Buffalo sports (both Bills and Sabres). I refuse to believe that the Sabres will not win many games wearing the new royal blue uniforms. It’s the true identity of the Buffalo Sabres franchise, and I have faith that the Sabres will soon be one of the best-looking teams both uniform and talent-wise in the NHL.
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