Housley can resurrect the Sabres' defense, but he needs the personnel
Phil Housley won't initially have anything close to the defensive talent he had in Nashville, but it's up to Jason Botterill to give his new head coach a capable group to work with on the Buffalo Sabres' back end.
The general manager will no doubt look to bolster the club's defense for Housley, who was hired Thursday after spending four seasons turning the Predators' defense into a juggernaut.
Nashville ranked in the top two in the NHL in goals by defensemen in all of those campaigns and placed in the league's top half in fewest goals allowed in each of the last three.
The Predators had at least one player finish in the top five in Norris Trophy voting in three straight seasons from 2013-14 to 2015-16, and Nashville's defense corps rose to an entirely new level this season, carrying the club to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Housley - one of the best offensive defensemen of all time - helped mold the Predators rearguards into one of the most productive groups in the NHL for a sustained period of time.
Buffalo's defense, on the other hand, was an obvious weak spot in 2016-17 beyond the encouraging development of Rasmus Ristolainen.
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The 22-year-old was counted on to almost single-handedly provide the offense for the Sabres from the blue line, and he collected 45 points in 79 games while logging an average of 26:28 in ice time.
Only Dustin Byfuglien, Drew Doughty, Ryan Suter, and Erik Karlsson played more than Ristolainen, which is a testament to the trust former head coach Dan Bylsma showed in him, but it was also a sign that he needed help.
The Sabres struggled in many facets as a team this season, but the lack of offense generated from the back end was a genuine concern.
After Ristolainen, only one defenseman - Jake McCabe - produced at least 20 points, and Buffalo's seven most frequently used D-men managed only 114 points in 444 combined games played. Yes, there were injuries, but the Sabres' defense corps were lousy at generating scoring chances.
Housley is the perfect coach to address that problem, but like Ristolainen, he won't be able to overhaul it by himself.
Botterill won't have many options on the free-agent market besides a big-ticket blue-liner like Kevin Shattenkirk, so he'll have to get a little creative to help improve the Sabres' biggest area of need.
As for Housley, he has an obvious area of expertise, but he'll do more than just help the defense. He's a proven winner who should help players at all positions get better, and his wealth of experience should help Jack Eichel continue to grow up front.
The Sabres' forward group is deep and versatile. Buffalo's defense needs the most work, and it's in good hands with Housley now, but he'll only be able to do so much without the right pieces in place.