BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres vice president of media and content Chrisanne Bellas had an interesting opportunity this summer. For the first time in her tenure, she was hiring a new lead producer for the game broadcast.

After parting with longtime producer Joe Pinter in May, the Sabres were looking for fresh ideas and a new leadership style. They landed on Brian Maas, who was most recently working on Diamondbacks and Coyotes broadcasts in Phoenix and previously did Tigers and Red Wings broadcasts in Detroit. Bellas felt instantly aligned with Maas’ creative vision and could tell right away that “he leads with his heart.” Bellas could tell he would fit in with director Matt Gould and production and graphics manager Jason Wiese.

But Bellas also wants to make sure the changes to the broadcast aren’t just behind the scenes. While the Sabres’ broadcast on MSG won’t change dramatically overnight, Bellas and Maas sat down with The Athletic this week to outline some of the adjustments they’re trying to make to modernize the content and presentation of the broadcast.

“We wanted to reset and re-energize,” Bellas said this week.

Some of the changes are simple. Fans might have noticed an overdue change to the broadcast in the preseason with shots on goals being part of the score bug. There will be other minor graphic tweaks.

Bellas and Maas also want to give the broadcast more depth regarding analysis. They now have a contract with hockey analytics firm Stathletes, something no other team or regional broadcast has. That will allow them to include some more in-depth data in both their graphics and analysis in-game and during intermission. As part of that agreement, Meghan Chayka, one of the co-founders of Stathletes, will appear on 15 Sabres broadcasts this season during intermissions. Chayka has appeared on TSN and ESPN, but this will be her first regular spot on a team broadcast.

“This is groundbreaking,” Maas said of the deal with Stathletes. “I’m really excited to see where we can go with this.”

Once the Coyotes left Arizona, Maas knew he wanted to get back into hockey. He’s from Michigan, and his roots are in hockey. That’s why doing this job in a market like Buffalo was appealing to him. He also knows the responsibility that comes with doing a broadcast for a fan base that is not only passionate about the sport but knowledgeable about what they’re watching and the history of the league.

“My foundation in Detroit is like a mirror of it,” Maas said. “This is a very intelligent fan base that knows the game and we’re just trying to give them a little bit more. We don’t want to snowball with anything. We’re going to put out the information in a way they haven’t seen it, and some of these metrics are going to be new … The fans that know what they know are going to know a little bit more after this.”

Bellas and Maas are also going to feature Marty Biron on the broadcast more. He hosts the daily radio show Sabres Live and is part of the pregame, intermission and postgame shows. But he also filled in when regular color analyst Rob Ray was out for a few games last season. That opened Bellas’ eyes to the idea that they should be using him more. The idea is to incorporate his analysis in-game more alongside Ray. Ray regularly is between the benches offering analysis, and Biron will be able to provide another perspective watching the game from up top.

“You’ve got the visual of Rayzor down low and you’ve got the visual of Marty up top,” Maas said. “You’ve got the two analysts seeing it from completely different angles. So I think it’s the best of both worlds.”

The Sabres have done mic’d-up segments in the past on social media and the team website, but they want to bring that to the broadcast as well. Given that they are a team-run broadcast, they want to use that relationship and access to add another layer of storytelling to the broadcast. Being a team-run broadcast allows them to make changes to bring people a bit closer to the team. The plan is to have Ray do occasional in-game interviews with Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. The team also wants to incorporate a walk-off style interview between Ray and a player after wins at home.

“It’s about connecting your fan base to the team,” Maas said. “That’s what my goal is coming in here is just more connection.”

The other sticking point fans have with the broadcast is that if you don’t get MSG in your cable package, MSG+ is $30 per month. That’s one of the most expensive broadcasts in the league. With regional sports networks in an unstable place, some teams have gone as far as to make their games free to access. The Sabres are constantly evaluating the best way to move forward with how to distribute the broadcast. But the team has three seasons left on its deal with MSG and is focused on ways to make the existing broadcast one that feels more modern and engaging to the fans.

“It feels brand new,” Bellas said.