NHL.com Sabres Player Fantasy Rankings

NHL.com has come out with their fantasy player rankings, as well as season projections, for the top 125 forwards in the game.  4 Sabres make the grade, and yeah, it’s the 4 guys you’d guess.  Amazingly enough, 3 Sabres are rated in the top 40 forwards.  Let’s look at what they have to say.

26. Thomas Vanek, LW, Buffalo
Vanek suffered the first injury of his four-year career — a broken jaw kept him out of nine games — yet he still led the NHL with 20 power-play goals. Since 2006-07, Vanek has scored 54 goals with the man-advantage, trailing only Alexander Ovechkin. He has three straight 30-goal seasons, twice reaching 40 in that span, and currently has a streak of four straight natural hat tricks. Vanek recorded 17 multi-point games last season.
2008-09: 73 games, 40-24-64 (45-27-72 prorated for 82 games)
2009-10 projection: 43-40-83

Vance’s Note: If anything, I think the goal total will be increasing, not the assists.  With a finally healthy Tim Connolly as his pivot, the play-making potential of these two could be as dynamic as we’ve seen in Buffalo since Pat LaFontaine and Alex Mogilny.  I’d have to say look to between 45-50 goals for Vanek this season, a very healthy number of those coming on the PP, but to say Vanek will nearly double his assists total from last year is pushing it.  A generous projection? I’d go with 46-32-78.

34. Derek Roy, C, Buffalo
A career-high 82 games last season didn’t translate into a breakout season for Roy, who failed to increase his goals, assists and points for a fourth consecutive season. But only 26, Roy’s best may still come and as early as 2009-10. He led the Sabres in goals, assists and points for a second straight year, produce 16 multi-point and five three-point games, and a nine-game point streak.
2008-09: 82 games, 28-42-70
2009-10 projection: 33-47-80

Vance’s Note: We can only heed the words of NHL.com so much here, because as we all know, Roy didn’t lead the Sabres in goals last season (Vanek, of course), nor did he lead them in assists (that would be Pominville) but Derek Roy did indeed lead the Sabres in points with 70.  Between a constantly variable set of linemates 70 points isn’t altogether too shabby.  At times listless, others sensational, Roy did take a bit of a step back after his career 07-08 season.  With it undecided whether he’ll be centering the 1st or 2nd line yet, raising last season’s totals too much might not be ideal.  I’d go with 29-46-75.

39. Jason Pominville, RW, Buffalo
Pominville proved to be an iron man for the third straight season, appearing in every game, but went backward in goals, assists, points and plus-minus. He did reach at least 20 goals and 65 points for the third straight campaign. Pominville led the Sabres with 18 multi-point games and recorded a season-high eight-game point streak in which he totaled 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists).
2008-09: 82 games, 20-46-66
2009-10 projection: 29-49-78

Vance’s Note: Obviously I am not the only one who thinks Pominville will have a bounce back year.  In Fanball’s own draft kit I wrote that I expected Pommer to come back from last season’s precipitous drop.  To say he was snakebitten, gripping the stick too tight, whatever cliche you want, would be an understatement.  Depending on his linemates, whether he plays 1st or 2nd line RW, will go along way in determining how his projections stack up.  If he’s playing up on the top line, expect more assists, if playing on the 2nd, look for more goals as he’ll have to play the role of sniper.  My guess? Hell, how bout 25-48-73.

80. Tim Connolly, C, Buffalo (22-41-63)

Vance’s Note: Looks like I have to provide the bland commentary for Mr. Connolly.  Ok, here goes. The perennially injured Connolly sported 47 points in just 48 games, notching 18 goals along with 29 assists.At almost a point per game over the past 2 seasons (87 points in 96) Tim Connolly is the epitome of high risk, high reward.  If he stays in the lineup, I think far more than 63 points are a possibility, I’d have to go with 26-58-84. Yes, I’m that high on a healthy Connolly.  Far more realistic? 14-37-51  in 53 games.

So there you have it.  Now this list doesn’t take some quaternary statistical categories into account, +/-, PIM, etc, or else there’s no way you’d see so many Sabres this high.  So what do you guys say, you like his predictions?  You like my projections?  What are your projections?

Tags: Buffalo Sabres, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Tim Connolly