For the past couple years (and arguably longer) the names Johan Larsson, Zemgus Girgensons, and Kyle Okposo, haven’t been held in the highest regard amongst members of the Buffalo Sabres’ fan base. Despite their analytical successes as a trio last season, many of the blue-and-gold faithful remained skeptical of the fourth-line trio, expressing frustration that these “veteran roadblocks” were preventing some of the organization’s promising youngsters from breaking into the big club.
This summer, Girgensons and Larsson were both retained on one-year deals as restricted free-agents.