 The Buffalo Sabres have spent the past few years going through a steady rebuilding process; bringing up a lot of young talent early, allowing them to mature at the NHL level. These young Sabres are fast and fun to watch, undoubtedly causing the enthusiastic fans of Buffalo to will fill the HSBC Arena as usual. Can the Sabres a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in three years? The young Sabres played well last season, with many of the youngest prospects moving toward becoming the new faces of the team. Star winger Thomas Vanek continued to pay back Buffalo's faith – their matching of a monster restricted free agency offer sheet – by scoring 40 goals, and Ryan Miller continued his climb to the top of the NHL goalkeeper hill. However, the Sabres fell just short of the playoffs, with their 41-33-9 record leaving them a mere two points short of the playoff scene. Buffalo was fairly quiet during the summer, choosing not to make many personnel moves, since the majority of their team is young and under contract for the next few years. The biggest things to take place were the acquisition of free agent defenseman Steve Montador, the retirement of stalwart Teppo Numinen, the departure of winger Maxim Afinogenov, and bringing veteran Mike Grier back into the mix. Vanek is unquestionably Buffalo's top scoring option, but there is also quite a bit of solid depth behind him. The Sabres are fast and deep up front with Derek Roy who led the team in scoring, Jason Pominville who scored 20 goals, and Tim Connolly whose talent is quite tantalizing when he is able to stay healthy. The Buffalo defense is a bit more of a concern; captain Craig Rivet is solid and reliable, while Tony Lydman and Montador should provide strong play behind him. The rest of the defenders are either journeymen or rising young players with little experience, and may be a little shaky in front of Miller's net. If some of them are able to step up above expectations, and maybe provide some scoring, it will be a pleasant surprise and benefit the Sabres greatly. Speaking of Miller, expect the goalie to have a huge season as he'll be competing for the starting job on the USA Olympic Hockey team, and wanting to prove himself all season long. With solid veteran Patrick Lalime backing him up, the Sabres should find plenty of opportunities to rest him, and the team appears to be solid in goal. Buffalo's diverse group of forwards are all fast and talented, and perfectly built for the new NHL. Furthermore, the young Sabres could take another step forward this season, so get your Buffalo Sabres tickets and be there at HSBC Arena as they make their 2009-2010 run for the playoffs.
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