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Next up on the roster review, one of the new guys #47 Zach Bogosian D (six years left at $5.1 million per, age 25) Buffalo 21/0/7/7/-7/38 Winnipeg 41/3/10/13/1/40 Zach Bogosian had 61 points in 60 games as a draft-eligible 17-year-old. Cobble those numbers with a man’s body, elite skating skills and a mean streak and the scouts were drawing parallels to another Peterborough Pete, Chris Pronger. It is little wonder he went third overall in the 2008 draft. Bogosian hasn’t exactly been a bust, so much as he just sort of slipped from the radar as a very young man playing in the NHL-quiet outposts of Atlanta and Winnipeg. He’s been capable, but his offence has been just OK, and his physical contributions hampered by regular injuries and a propensity for taking penalties. Add that to the fact Toby Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien were entrenched as the go-to blueliners in Winnipeg, and Bogosian never really got his shot as a first-pair guy. Until Buffalo. Ted Nolan played #47 in all situations; he totalled more than 28 minutes nine times during his time in Buffalo. Given the lack of depth on the Sabre blueline, there is little doubt that will continue this season. He may have already played seven seasons, but he just turned 25 last week. The question is whether he can rise to the challenge the way his early promise indicated he should, or whether he is what he has been — a good, but not great NHL defenceman. Links to the rest of the series:

Next up in the series, a man who played playoff games for the Sabres #6 Mike Weber D (one year left at $1.67 million per, age 27) Buffalo 64/1/6/7/-22/68 Six years ago, in his first full NHL season, Mike Weber had 17 points and finished +13. No one would ever make the mistake of measuring Weber’s value in stats, but it is interesting to note that on a decent hockey team his stat line offered more than single-digit point totals and a minus-twenty-something. With Pat Kaleta unlikely to return, Weber is the Sabre of longest standing and his commitment to the team and to paying the price cannot be questioned. What has been questioned is his ability to be a legitimate NHL defenceman on a good team. Links to the rest of the series: