‘Botterill’s strengths cater to what the Buffalo Sabres need most. Their scuffling farm club, the Rochester Americans, hasn’t made the playoffs for three seasons. The Americans’ imprint on the NHL roster isn’t significant, either. The only hidden-gem forward to emerge after significant AHL development time is Marcus Foligno, drafted 104th in 2009, and the only impact blueliner is Jake McCabe, drafted 44th in 2012. Rasmus Ristolainen doesn’t count in this context as he was a high-upside first-round pick from the start, and his NHL arrival wasn’t really the product of development. The Sabres saw Hudson Fasching, Alex Nylander, Justin Bailey and Nick Baptiste come up from the minors for cups of coffee this season, but none has made a sizable splash just yet.’