The top-five defensemen heading into the 2015-16 for the Buffalo Sabres are pretty much a lock. Defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, Cody Franson and Mark Pysyk have all made their mark for the team in one way or another and all that's left to figure out is, who the No. 6 d-man will be.
In the mix is 32 yr. old, oft-injured Carlo Colaiacovo whom GM Tim Murray signed for depth. There's Edmond, OK native and puck-mover Matt Donovan who was up with the NY Islanders last season but only played in 12 games and was signed by the Sabres after the Islanders opted not to qualify him. Rookie Jake McCabe, Buffalo's 2012 second round pick (44th overall,) is the fans choice but he still needs to iron out some inconsistencies in his two-way game and Rochester is as good a place as any to do that. Puck-mover Chad Ruhwedel who's shown a nice scoring touch in Rochester might be a possibility but has yet to turn heads in Buffalo.
Eighteen year old Brendan Guhle, a 2015 second round pick (51st overall) has piqued the interest of many with his advanced skating, athleticism and acute hockey sense but, why rush the kid? Another year at Prince Albert (WHL) with the Raiders playing top minutes is a logical step for his development. Of note: Murray has already signed him to his entry-level deal.
And then there's 27 yr. old Mike Weber, the Pittsburgh, PA native, who will be entering his eighth season with the club, and is the longest-tenured Sabre.
Buffalo drafted Weber in 2006 with the 57th overall pick as a physical, hard-nosed defensive-defenseman--the antithesis of many soft-but-skilled players that made up the team at the time. His first appearance with Buffalo was during the 2007-08 season with the Sabres transitioning from the "Ferrari" years to "the core" years. He played in 16 games for the club during their failed playoff push but was a plus-12 in those games as he was paired with Andrej Sekera. Weber spent the next two seasons playing in Portland, the Sabres AHL affiliate at the time, before staking his claim to a roster spot beginning with the 2010-11 season.
Weber, who's not known for his offensive acumen, had career numbers that year posting four goals and adding 13 assists with a rating of plus-13. The Sabres playoff push for new owner Terry Pegula was a success but they would lose to the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games. Weber had a solid series but was known mostly for clearing the crease in front of Ryan Miller, being especially rough on noted pest, Daniel Carcillo.
The much-maligned Weber then sunk with the rest of the team beginning with the 2011-12 season posting negative plus/minus ratings in the high-teens and twenties three consecutive seasons. The last two years were especially brutal as management jettisoned every ounce of talent that would get any kind of return in a trade in a scorched-earth rebuild policy. In the process, napalmed players like Weber were left to stand in the rubble with fans cheering for losses.
Back in March with the 29th place Arizona Coyotes in town and the battle for a spot in the top-two of the 2015 NHL Draft at stake, many Buffalo fans at First Niagara Center openly and adamantly cheered the 'Yotes on with some of the most vociferous of the lot standing proud while decked out in their Sabres regalia. It was something that didn't sit well with the team and in a post game interview Weber voiced his (and probably his teammates) displeasure.
"[Losing] is extremely frustrating for us. We don't want to be here. We understand where we are. We understand what this team's doing, what the organization's doing, the place we've put ourselves in. I've never been a part of something like that, where the away team comes into a home building and they're cheering for them. Again, I respect our fans. I love our fans. I show up to work everyday to whatever I can for them, and to play hard for them and my teammates...
"This is two years in a row now. Physically, mentally, this sucks. To compound things, you have your home fans cheering against you. Again, I've never been a part of that. Obviously, what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger, I guess. But this is a whole new low right now."
It was a situation that shouldn't be wished upon any team and fanbase, yet it's one that has the team ready to climb from the basement in earnest beginning this season.
Everyone's in a better place now and Weber, the 2015 Buffalo Sabres Unsung Hero Award-winner, "can't stop smiling" when talking about the upcoming season. "You've seen the frustration, the pain, the misery that has been the past two seasons," he said the first day of training camp. "What a difference an off-season will make.
"Management told us leaving here last year that they'd make the necessary changes and they held up their end. Now it's the fun part. It's nice to finally go into a season where we're competing for a playoff spot."
Whether the team has enough to compete for a playoff spot, which would mean a 35-40 point increase over their 54 point total from last season, remains to be seen, but early indications are that the team will be much improved, at least up front. The blueline remains a work in progress as gaps remain in the d-corps.
As mentioned, either Weber or Colaiacovo could end up in the No. 6 role with the other being the reserve. During the preseason Weber has seen plenty of ice time while logging top-pairing penalty-kill minutes with Franson during the split-squad games. He's performed well and is busting his butt to land that sixth spot.
Weber has been in a Sabres uniform for a long time and has the respect of his teammates and of the organization. Although fans may want him out, he has shown the propensity to face adversity while still offering his best. Although he's no Larry Robinson, he knows who he is, as well as the type of game he can play and where he fits on the team. In a season that includes many roster and position changes, a known, NHL quantity, however minimal in the skill department one might be, helps stabilize the situation in the early going.
With the increase in talent that's on the team right now, Weber should be smiling. He best two seasons were when the team had actual talent around him as opposed to him having to log way too many minutes in a role beyond his capabilities. It wouldn't be surprising to see him rise to respectability this season in a role more suited to his talents, with forwards who can score and help on defense, and on a team that's attacking instead of being sitting ducks in a shooting gallery. It will allow him to do what he does best-- focus on physicality, clear the crease and defend his teammates. Which is exactly what he was drafted for and exactly what you want him doing on the third-pairing.
Building the Buffalo Sabres 2015-16 roster:
LW, Evander Kane C, Ryan O'Reilly RW, Tyler Ennis
LW, Zemgus Girgensons,
C, Jack Eichel RW, Jamie McGinn
LW, Matt Moulson C, Sam Reinhart RW, Brian Gionta
D, Rasmus Ristolainen D, Zach Bogosian
D, Josh Gorges RHD, Cody Franson
D, Mark Pysyk D, Mike Weber
G, Robin Lehner 
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