Believe it or not, the 2021-22 campaign was an extremely succe sful one for theBuffalo Sabres.

Sure, the club ended the season with a record of 32-39-11,finishing fifthin the Atlantic Division, 11th in the Eastern Conference and didn't sniff the postseason.

But this was a team most predicted to finish with the worst record in the East, fighting for last place in the league. The Sabres overachieved this season, thanks to a mix of breakout performances from youngsters such as Tage Thompson and veterans such as Kyle Okposo and Craig Anderson playing above expectations.

The Jack Eichel saga is finally over, with the Sabres getting a great haul for Ed Oliver Jerseys their disgruntled former captain, which included likely future captain Alex Tuch. Owen Power, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, has arrived and looked as advertised to end the season.Head coach Don Granato has made this team an extremely tough opponent to play night in and night out since he arrived late in the 2020-21 season.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. The club seems to be headed in the right direction aftera disastrous past few seasons in upstate New York.Trust me, Buffalo, it's a great time to be a Sabres fan.

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Here's some insight into how the Sabres look heading into the offseason.

All salaries are from .

Sabres upcoming free agents

After handing out a bunch of one-year deals last summer, there are a number of Sabres hitting free agency in 2022.

All three of the goalies on the Buffalo roster are free agents, leaving question marks not just at Justin Zimmer Jerseys the starting position, but also the backup. The team also is set to have three of its defensemen hitting the market as well, leaving gaps on the blue line.

Unrestricted free agentsRestricted free agentsCody EakinVictor Olof sonVinnie HinostrozaBrandon BiroDrake CaggiulaJacob BrysonColin MillerWill ButcherMark PysykMalcolm SubbanCraig AndersonJohn HaydenDustin TokarskiAndrew OglevieSabres future salaries, roster

The Sabres have a ton of cap space to use in their future, but with so many young players coming through, eventually they will need to get paid.

The Jeff Skinner contract is still an i sue, as he is set to make $9 million over the next five years despite never being a $9 million a year kind of player. Luckily for the Sabres, Kyle Okposo Jordan Poyer Jerseys has just one more year left making $6 million, so that money will be off the books after next season.

Player2022-232023-242024-25Jeff Skinner$9 million$9 million$9 millionRasmus Dahlin$6 million Duke Johnson Jerseys $6 million$6 millionKyle Okposo$6 millionUFA-Alex Tuch$4.75 million$4.75 million$4.75 millionCasey Mittelstadt$2.5 million$2.5 millionRFAHenri Jokiharju$2.5 million$2.5 millionRFAZemgus Girgensons$2 millionUFA-Anders Bjork$1.6 millionRFA-Tage Thompson$1.4 millionRFA-Mattias Samuel son$925,000RFA-Owen Power$925,000$925,000RFADylan Cozens$894,167RFA-Peyton Krebs$863,333$863,333RFARasmus Asplund$825,000RFA-Cody Hodgson*$791,667--Casey Fitzgerald$750,000RFA-

*= contract buyout

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Sabres 2022 NHL Draft picks

GM Kevyn Adams has 10 draft picks to work with this summer most importantly, three first-round picks.

The downside of the Sabres overachieving this season is that their first-round pick isn't as high as anticipated. There was the expectation that the Sabres could potentially battle for the No. 1 spot and Shane Wright. Instead, Buffalo is looking like it will pick around No. 8.

They also own the Golden Knights' and Panthers' first-round selections. Vegas' pick is much higher than expected with the team mi sing the playoffs, so that's a bonus for Buffalo. The Panthers' pick will be at the bottom of the first round.

The team also has a second, a third, a fourth, fifth, two sixths and a seventh.

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One burning question

Will the Sabres be big spenders in free agency?

Buffalo enters this offseason with the most projected cap space of any team, around $42 million. So how will they spend it?

Adams was in the same position last Buffalo Bills Accessories offseason and elected instead to give out the "Buffalo Special" a bunch of one-year contracts under $1 million. It was a smart move because the team wasn't going to be competing for a Cup and still in rebuild mode. Plus Von Miller Jerseys , I can't imagine many players were chomping at the bit to sign in Buffalo.

However, this offseason is different. The team is in a much better position than people expected, especially after getting Tuch and Peyton Krebs in the Eichel trade. The Sabres are now a promising destination and the team has the money to make a potential big splash in free agency.

Of course, as I mentioned before, Adams can't blow through all his cash, with some of the young pieces of this team in need of a pay raise in the next couple of summers. But the Sabres could make some noise and sign a few key pieces for the future of the team.