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There's hope in Buffalo — and this time, it might be justified

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BUFFALO — Jack Eichel said he could not remember when he was this excited about an upcoming season.

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And, for once, we actually believed him.

After all, it can’t possibly get any worse what we’ve seen over the last three years.

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As the consolation prize following a 23-win season in 2014-15, the No. 2 overall pick has been at the centre of a rebuild that keeps pushing the end date further and further back. Eichel, who is 21, still hasn’t played in the post-season. He’s never even played meaningful hockey past January.

But this year feels different. The Sabres might not yet be a playoff contender. But with half-a-dozen new faces, they certainly don’t look like the team that once again finished with the worst record last season.

“I’m just trying to be super-optimistic,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for change.”

There’s change for the sake of making a change. And then there is what GM Jason Botterill did this summer. Gone are Ryan O’Reilly, who said on locker cleanout day that the Sabres had adopted a mentality of “being OK with losing,” as well as goalie Robin Lehner and several other veteran players that Eichel said were walking around with a “sour taste” in their mouths.

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In this March 26, 2018, file photo, Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel (15) celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs with right wing Jason Pominville (29) during the third of an NHL hockey game in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
In this March 26, 2018, file photo, Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel (15) celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs with right wing Jason Pominville (29) during the third of an NHL hockey game in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP, File) Photo by Frank Gunn /AP

In their place are forwards Jeff Skinner, Conor Sheary, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Casey Mittelstadt, goalie Carter Hutton and No. 1-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin.

In other words, this was not a case of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

The Toronto Maple Leafs might have landed the biggest name in free agency in John Tavares, but the Sabres went unmatched when it comes to quantity and quality. They added a three-time 30-goal scorer in Skinner, a goalie in Hutton who had the league’s best save percentage and goals-against average, as well as two rookies (Dahlin and Mittelstadt) who could battle it out for the Calder Trophy.

On paper, it’s easily the best collection of talent assembled since Eichel joined the team. And the players know it.

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“Yeah, I’m intrigued,” said forward Kyle Okposo. “I’m excited. I’m excited to get going. It was a busy summer for us …  Any time you’ve got a guy who’s had multiple 30-goal seasons, that’s a pretty good add.

“I did think that we did get better. It’s still something where we have to go out on the ice and do it and play well. In this league, you’re not a good team until you are. That’s the long and short of it. We still have to go out and play.”

So far, the signs are there that, at the very least, this season will be more enjoyable on the eyes than in previous years. This isn’t the Golden Knights. The Sabres are not made up of fourth-line grinders and lunch-pail veterans.

“Well, certainly, I think Jason has done a tremendous job with the acquisitions that we’ve received,” said head coach Phil Housley. “I think it’s boosted our talent and skill. It’s great to see. I felt it from Day 1, to tell you the truth, there’s just a really good vibe.”

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Sure, there are question marks about whether the defence can hold up and how Hutton will fare now that he has to handle a starting goalie’s workload. And then there’s Sam Reinhart’s contract negotiation to worry about, as well as an unfortunate pre-season injury to Sheary. But at least the players on Buffalo’s top-two lines are legitimate top-six forwards.

There’s talent on the roster. Housley’s message to the players prior to Tuesday night’s exhibition game against Pittsburgh was simply: “Let our skill take over.”

When was the last time a Sabres team heard that?

“As a player, you want to be around good players. I think the young core is exciting,” said Skinner, who has yet to play in a playoff game during his eight seasons in the league.

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“A lot of fresh faces here. When you don’t have success in this league, there is a lot of change. That’s the nature of the business. Going into the season, everyone feels like they have a fresh start. You have an opportunity to reach your goal.”

The immediate goal is to qualify for the playoffs, something that has eluded the Sabres for the past seven seasons. But the end goal is much greater. It’s not hard to look down the Queen Elizabeth Way and notice what the Leafs have been building toward recently.

The Sabres want that, too. And, for the first time in a while, it’s beginning to come into focus.

“I don’t have any expectations, but it can be really good,” said Dahlin. “I feel there’s a lot of skilled players. It’s a good team. Of course, we want to win the Stanley Cup. We are going for that.”

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mtraikos@postmedia.com

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SABRES ALREADY DOWN A COUPLE OF BODIES

The Buffalo Sabres could be without Conor Sheary for the start of the regular season.

The 26-year-old winger, who was acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer, suffered an upper-body injury on the first day of training camp last Friday and is listed as week-to-week.

“He took a hit the wrong way,” said Housley. “It’s disappointing … I feel it’s bad for him because it’s a new player coming to a new team. You want to set a good impression. It’s unfortunate.”

With restricted free agent Sam Reinhart still awaiting a contract extension, the opportunity is there for prospect Alex Nylander and others to grab a roster spot.

“I think in every business, guys are fighting for position and for ice time,” said Housley. “Certainly, with Conor being out for a while now, there’s other guys who are going to get a better opportunity and a better look now going forward.”

The Sabres are also missing defenceman Matt Hunwick, who is out indefinitely with a neck injury.

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