Our Sabres will be OK

Given the departure of Danny Briere and Chris Drury, and, to some extent, Dainius Zubrus, it's easy to understand the furrowed brows within Sabres Nation.

How does a team, one that commanded the Eastern Conference during the regular season, cope with the loss of skill, determination and leadership?

My response is simple. The Sabres must look within:

~ Now that Briere is in Philly and Drury in the Big Apple, it's time for Buffalo's stable of young players to fully seize the opportunity being presented. It's not just Thomas Vanek, either. Buffalo needs Jason Pominville, Derek Roy and Drew Stafford (and you thought I forgot about him) to continue taking great strides forward, in terms of scoring and providing leadership.

Improved contributions from Ales Kotalik and Tim Connolly, provided he can stay healthy, would help pick up some of the offensive slack, too. Brian Campbell can pitch in as well.

~ Night after night, Ryan Miller gives Buffalo a chance to win. Are there flashier goalies in the NHL? Sure. But there are few who are more solid. In my world, substance trumps style time after time.

~ From Teppo Numminen's open-heart surgery to last season's playoff collapse against Ottawa, this team has dealt with adversity and disappointment. To some, these would be excuses. But in Buffalo and Western New York, where being an underdog is a birthright, this should provide nothing but motivation.

We're a tough lot, aren't we?

Bottom line, folks, the Sabres should have a pretty decent year. Sure, they'll make some noise in the conference. And I certainly wouldn't mind to see them learn to score in the playoffs. But, will they win the Cup? I'd be surprised.

Pleasantly surprised.