NHL Odds: Offseason Update: Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo didn't add much help for Ryan Miller this offseason. (AP Images)

After a surprising third-place finish in the Eastern Conference during the regular season last year, the Buffalo Sabres mostly stood pat during the offseason. That didn’t do much to help their Bodog NHL futures odds, as their chances at winning the Stanley Cup are a ho-hum 26/1. This is Buffalo’s offseason update.

The Sabres ranked fourth in goals against, mostly thanks to the stellar play of Ryan Miller. Miller enjoyed a career year, going 41-18-8 with a 2.22 GAA and .929 save percentage. That doesn’t even factor in his incredible play during the Olympics, when he led Team USA to a silver medal. Miller should be expected to regress slightly, if only because it’s near-impossible to play as well as he did for a sustained period of time.

It also won’t help that Buffalo lost a few bodies in its defensive corps. Toni Lydman (Ducks) and Henrik Tallinder (Devils) vacated during free agency, leaving Buffalo searching for depth on the blue line. Jordan Leopold and Shaone Morrisonn were both signed this summer, and the Sabres might look to the farm system, too; Mike Weber, a late-season call up a few years ago, has a shot to crack the lineup in 2010-11.

Buffalo also added a defensive presence up front in the form of Rob Niedermayer. The veteran center comes over from New Jersey and is a great role player; he’ll play special teams, shut down opposing forwards and add a leadership element to the locker room. He’s not a star by any stretch of the imagination, but Niedermayer is a useful player.

The Sabres ranked 10th in scoring last season despite lacking a bonafide superstar up front. Still, six players had between 42 and 69 points. The team is hoping for a breakout from former first-round pick Drew Stafford, who managed just 14 goals in 71 games last year.

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