The Buffalo Sabres have been the NHL's hottest team and biggest surprise this season. Their success can be linked to competent goaltending and some smart moves by GM Jason Botterill to reshape the roster of a team that hadn't made the playoffs since 2011. None of those moves was smarter than the acquisition of left wing Jeff Skinner from the Carolina Hurricanes. He was entering a contract year. He needed a change of scenery, and Buffalo was close to his hometown of Toronto. His goal-scoring prowess seemed to be a fit with center Jack Eichel, and Eichel would be the best center with whom Skinner had played.
Jeff Skinner on Sabres' success, joining Bills Mafia and the Hurricanes' celebrations
