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Next up, last season's leading scorer: #63 Tyler Ennis RW (four years left at $4.6 million per, age 25) Buffalo 78/20/26/46/-19/37 It was never thought of in those terms when it happened — probably not even by management — but Tyler Ennis may have been the first asset acquired in the tank. He was taken in the 2008 draft with the 26th pick, originally San Jose’s that came to Buffalo in the Brian Campbell trade. The pick was acquired as part of a new Sabre policy of auctioning off core UFAs rather than letting them walk without compensation. Undersized and thought by some to be a gamble when he was picked, Ennis has proved detractors wrong, scoring more NHL goals than all but two players selected in his draft year. He registered 20 goals and 49 points as a rookie. Since then, he has been remarkably consistent offensively, scoring at a similar points/game rate every season, even as he was being constantly shifted through all three forward positions. Despite similar numbers, last year was considered a bit of a breakthrough by some observers, as Ennis led the team in scoring. Part of that was an impression of consistently high effort, part of it was the sense he was winning more battles and turning over the puck less, part of it was the fact he was the only payer on the team capable of consistently creating offence. Heading into this season, he seems to found a permanent home as the team’s top RW. Surprisingly, circumstances have made him a veteran who will be counted on to be a leader. Fans are speculating whether his game can grow further as the team adds more talent to the top six. Links to the rest of the series: Anders Lindback: http://forums.sabres...nders-lindback/ Pat Kaleta: http://forums.sabres...patrick-kaleta/ Johan Larsson: http://forums.sabres...-johan-larsson/ Matt Hackett: http://forums.sabres...1-matt-hackett/ Andrej Meszaros: http://forums.sabres...ndrej-meszaros/ Phil Varone, Zac Dalpe, Jerry D'Amigo: http://forums.sabres...e-dalpe-damigo/ Mikhail Grigorenko: http://forums.sabres...ail-grigorenko/ Tyson Strachan, Andre Benoit: http://forums.sabres...han-and-benoit/ Mark Pysyk: http://forums.sabres...w-3-mark-pysyk/ Tim Schaller: http://forums.sabres...9-tim-schaller/ Matt Ellis: http://forums.sabres...-37-matt-ellis/ Cody Hodgson: http://forums.sabrespace.com/topic/23431-roster-review-19-cody-hodgson/

Next up in our continuing discussion, the man with the C. #12 Brian Gionta RW (two years left at $$4.3 million per, age 36) Buffalo 65/13/22/35/-13/18 A western New York native who overcame serious doubt about his stature to win a Stanley Cup and captain the legendary Montreal Canadiens, Brian Gionta should be a figure of love and respect in Buffalo. The love affair hasn’t exactly ignited yet. That happens when you are appointed as the face of one of the worst teams in Sabres’ franchise history. His role in Buffalo was defined very clearly on the day of his signing by GM Tim Murray: "He's heart and soul. He plays to the most of his ability and the most of an effort level every shift. He blocks shots, he's the type of player that can wear a letter, he's definitely part of the leadership group. He brings a lot of intangibles." It may surprise some fans to discover Gionta also brought offence, at least relatively speaking. Statistically, he was a solid second-liner. Despite an injury, he finished 40th among NHL right wings in scoring last year. His points-per-game pace was similar to that of Justin Williams. After a very slow start in Buffalo, he caught fire after returning from injury, piling up 16 points in 19 games down the stretch. Focused on the tank, most fans responded with mild annoyance if they noticed at all. Gionta enters the season low on the radar even though he played in all situations last year. Despite his role as captain and one of the team leaders in ice time, many seem to pencil him in as a 3rd or even 4th-liner. It will be interesting to see how he is used by the coaching staff and how he relates to players like Kane, Eichel and O’Reilly. Links to the rest of the series: