Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill promised a multitude of changes
in the Sabres locker room at his 2017-18 season-ending press conference.
Heading into training camp, there are almost a dozen new faces. New to the
Sabres are goaltender Carter Hutton, forwards Jeff Skinner, Conor Sheary, Tage
Thompson, Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka, and Rasmus Dahlin and several
high-end blue-line prospects.Botterill didn';t mince words. The year "sucked."
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Finishing 31st was unacceptable. Jack Eichel has been around the league long
enough to know that change was imminent. The NHL is a results-driven business
and the Sabres weren't having success.

Eichel said as much to The Athletic; "Whenever you have as little success as we
 did last year, changes are bound to happen, and I think it's a good thing.
We've got a lot of fresh faces that don't really have the sour taste of last
season and the two seasons before with them." (from 'Jack Eichel ready to help
lead a locker room of new faces after the Sabres'; summer of change';, The
Athletic - 8/9/18)Leadership and Captaincy

The Buffalo Sabres' last captain was Brian Gionta in 2016-17. The organization
has been afraid to stitch the ΓÇÿC' on a jersey. Now, for a team that's missed
the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons due to questionably accountability
and spotty effort, leadership is sorely needed. Goal scoring can be
accomplished by committee, but leadership must come from individuals. A captain
 will give the team much-needed focus.

Just naming a captain isn't going to make this team something it isn't. Facts
are facts - they have been a bottom-dwelling draft lottery team. Over the past
seven years, they've done nothing but lose despite multiple coaches and GMs.

A year ago, a swirling question was whether Eichel or Ryan O'Reilly would be
named the Sabres' captain. Botterill and head coach Phil Housley ultimately
chose neither, opting for a rotating group of alternate captains, including
Eichel, O'Reilly, Zach Bogosian and Kyle Okposo. Neither Botterill nor Housley
has stated if they'll continue with the "leadership group" or award the ΓÇÿC'
to one of their players. Change must visit this issue just like it came to the
faces in the locker room.

Meet your assistant captains! pic.twitter.com/JKy6y7ifY7

- Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 5, 2017

O'Reilly has been shipped out of town. "IΓÇï think itΓÇï neededΓÇïΓÇï to
happen," Eichel said recently. "Whenever you have as little success as we did
last year, changes are bound to happen, and I think it's a good thing." (The
Athletic - 8/9/18)Sabres Captain Options and Concerns

Eichel, the Sabres' first pick in 2015 and points leader since, is the obvious
candidate to be named captain for the 2018-19 season. However, Eichel doesn't
have to be the captain of the franchise to be the face of the franchise. Being
a top pick doesn't always equate to being a leader nor the best option for the
long-term.Wait For The Kids to Develop

With so many new faces and skilled prospects - Brendan Guhle, Casey
Mittelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin - making their way to the NHL, one idea is to hold
off to see how they mature as things play out. A leader could blossom from the
influx of youth and talent on the unestablished roster. If Botterill doesn't
feel he has someone ready to take the captaincy with appropriate gravitas and
gusto, perhaps he would be smart to wait another year.

Eichel could very well have a long, successful career and yet never develop
into captain material. Trying to fit a square peg into a round hole just for
the sake of filling the hole can lead to worse results than leaving the hole
empty. Giving him the captaincy now, then taking it away to try to give it to
somebody else in a couple of years is a scheme promising disaster.Rasmus Dahlin
 needs to get his feet wet in the NHL before thrusting him into a leadership
role. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 comes across as composed, thoughtful and
 honest. After being chosen first overall, Dahlin stayed at the draft to
introduce himself to all the other Sabres' selections. It was a classy,
professional move. He is humble yet confident and mature beyond his years. If
he has the immediate on-ice impact that Western New Yorkers hope to see,
perhaps he will deserve to wear the ΓÇÿC' in short order.Go With a Veteran

Another idea floating around is to give the ΓÇÿC' to veteran Jason Pominville,
or another veteran. The upcoming season is the final year of Pominville's
contract. He's a former Sabres captain - a quiet leader with hard-working
habits. While Eichel and the young talent mature another year, an experienced
player could temporarily fill the void. Pominville is liked by the fans and he
interacts well with the media. And at 36-years old, he knows that this is
likely his last year with the Sabres, perhaps his last in the league, moving
the captaincy to another player in a year would not be a tumultuous event in
the locker room.Jason Pominville was the Sabres captain from 2011 through 2013.
 (Andy Martin Jr.)

There have been suggestions about making Kyle Okposo the captain this year. The
 right winger is a consummate teammate - respected, professional, well-liked
and well-spoken. He's good with the public and the media, and never shies away
from giving his all. Unlike Pominville, he has a hefty contract that runs for
four years beyond this season. Okposo could fill the bill by stewarding the
Sabres to a wildcard race. He could mentor the younger players while still near
 his prime, then pass the position as the team completes the transition to a
regular playoff competitor.The Combo Captain Platter

It's easier for a coach to hand out the ΓÇÿC' than to take it away. The Sabres
could go with co-captains; perhaps both a veteran and a talented youngster. It
might be a way to focus the leadership without diluting it and provide a smooth
 path forward. Co-captains worked well in Buffalo from 2005-07 when the tandem
of Chris Drury and Danny Briere led the Sabres to the Eastern Conference
Final.It's Eichel's Team

Though he doesn't wear a ΓÇÿC' stitched to his sweater, the Sabres are Eichel's
 team. When a goal is needed, he's the one the players lean on and fans want to
 see coming over the boards. Hopes are pinned to Eichel to turn the franchise
around. From the moment he was drafted, the Sabres bandwagon was destined to be
 hitched to Eichel.

It appears that Jack is ready to make the next step to become Captain Jack.
Over the past three years, Eichel has matured tremendously. His post-season
comments alone show that. He sounded very mature-like a leader-with every
successive interview.

Sabres' GM Jason Botterill said Jack Eichel matured a lot this year and they
view him as a big leader for this team. 

Botterill also says more players have to step up from that standpoint and
"can't sit in the background anymore." @WGRZ pic.twitter.com/Ufcq2QWr9o

- Heather Prusak (@haprusak) April 11, 2018

Eichel still gets upset and doesn't always hide his anger. He can be prickly
and pissed off. While this can be a negative if overdone, the honesty and the
passion are positives. Fans want their captain to be sick of losing and not
tote a moping, pathetic party line. Some fire and emotion are crucial to
leading a team and setting expectations.All in for Eichel

It's popular opinion that the best player on a team should be its captain.
Jack's impact on the scoresheet is obvious. For now, Eichel is the team's best
player as well as the face of the franchise. Because this is truly his team,
making him captain is the next step in the process. The franchise should stop
over-thinking things and give him the captaincy. He's the only real option to
be the captain.Eichel will be wearing No. 9. Will he also be wearing a new
letter? (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

By no means is Eichel a perfect leader yet. He has led this team of
underachievers nowhere in his three years. It's unfair to lay that burden
squarely on his shoulders, but it's time to turn the team over to him and let
the chips fall where they may. While he had several multi-point games, there
were nights he was just ordinary, when the eye-test questioned his drive.

It's time for him to strap this team on his back and lead it to new ground. He
wants to be the catalyst that ends the franchise's longest postseason drought.
He's turning 22 and about to enter the prime of his hockey career. He's hungry.
 And Botterill has compiled the best Sabres roster that he's seen. It's time
for Eichel to lead the troops into relevancy.Related: The Sabres Seismic
Culture ShiftThe Eichel Era

The four-alternate-captain system is no longer acceptable for this team or its
fanbase. It's not a time to wait and see who's going to lead this team. The
Sabres have committed eight years and $100 million to Eichel. To not name him
captain sends a worse message than not naming him captain. Enough of the
indecisive, uncertain wishy-washy nonsense that winds up getting mirrored on
the ice and in the standings. Stitch that ΓÇÿC' on his jersey this year. It's
time.

"Obviously, I need to influence the room in a positive way and do the right
thing," said Eichel. "More or less, it's just come to the rink, be a pro, push
this team in the right direction and obviously stepping up and being The Guy."
(The Athletic - 8/9/18)With plenty of fresh faces, this could be a year to
celebrate for the Sabres. (Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports)

The franchise center is really excited about the huge additions of Sheary and
Skinner. He's pumped to have Dahlin's on the team's blueline, having called him
 shortly after Dahlin exited the draft stage and spending some time with him
before the Sabres development camp. And he's thrilled to start a new chapter
wearing No. 9 for the Sabres - the same number he wore while winning the Hobey
 Baker Award for Boston University in 2015.

What remains to be seen is whether Eichel will have a new letter to go with his
 new number on his sweater come October.

The post The Sabres Are Eichel';s Team appeared first on The Hockey Writers.

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