Expectations last season for Buffalo weren’t high going in and they crashed out even lower in November as the team sagged to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. But after a 10-game win streak and a scorching hot run the rest of the way that spurred them onto winning the Atlantic Division and the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011 and winning a playoff round for the first time since 2007, the Sabres organization is reinvigorated in ways they haven’t been in at least 20 years. With brilliant play from captain Rasmus Dahlin, forward Tage Thompson and arrival performances from Mattias Samuelsson and Zach Benson, what was once an annually dreary look ahead to a new season has sky-high hopes that they can build upon last season’s success and a chance at the organization’s first ever Stanley Cup.
What’s Changed
The Sabres season comes with high expectations but also equally sizable concerns. Alex Tuch (Washington) and Bowen Byram (Chicago) are gone after a pair of trades. Tuch’s regular 30-goal production and outstanding defence will be missed along with his off-ice leadership. Byram’s offensive production on the blue line is a hard loss, but with his contract due to end after the season, they didn’t want to go through the same situation they had with Tuch last season again. Replacing those players is almost impossible, but they acquired defencemen Olen Zellweger from Anaheim and Louis Crevier from Chicago to soften the loss of Byram and will bring back forward Jiri Kulich after he missed most of the season with a blood clot. Losing Jordan Greenway via trade may have a negative effect on their defending up front and on the penalty kill.
What Would Success Look Like?
Going from zero expectations to very lofty ones will be test enough for the Sabres. A 109-point season and division title immediately sets the bar to reaching the Eastern Conference Final at a minimum. Losing in overtime in Game 7 to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round showed they’re right there and can pull it off. If Dahlin can win the Norris (he finished third in voting) and Thompson can score 40 goals again, that will push them forward. Should Benson’s game take another step after playoff success and Jack Quinn can put up big numbers in a contract season while even younger potential star players Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius can force their way into more minutes, the Sabres can be fast, fun, and exciting again as well as being winners. If their goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis can share the load the way they did last season, they’ll help calm fans down who have been eager to see GM Jarmo Kekäläinen swing a big trade for Connor Hellebuyck.
What Could Go Wrong?
The Sabres’ nightmare scenario would be to see the group unable to recoup what they’ve lost offensively with Tuch and Byram’s departures. Leaning more on veterans like Josh Norris and Jason Zucker and hoping that young players can take big steps is something that’s gone sideways on past Buffalo teams, but with the caveat that those teams were looking to climb out of the drought. This team is coming into the season with hopes of winning a Cup and if struggles hit them out of the gate, with how tough the division will be, it’ll be a severe test of everyone’s mettle. If Benson and Quinn don’t improve their offence and if Ostlund, Kulich and Helenius can’t contribute well enough, they’ll have a fight on their hands for the playoffs.
Top Breakout Candidate
The guy to watch for a breakout is Noah Ostlund. The Swedish centre earned a spot on the team after going back and forth from Rochester to start the season. Once he proved himself, he stuck and earned coach Lindy Ruff’s respect and admiration. He has immense skill and is a heady player all over the ice, but it’s his strong defensive play that’s forced Ruff to move him up in the lineup. He had 11 goals and 16 assists in 60 games last season, but doubling those numbers (if not more) is possible with the way he plays.
OFFENCE
Tage Thompson
For the third time in four seasons, Thompson scored 40 goals in a season. He led the Sabres with 40 on the nose, 34 of which came at even strength. He was Buffalo’s leading point getter in general with 81 and keyed their offence en route to leading them to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. When Thompson first broke out in 2021-22 with 38 goals, the biggest question for him moving forward was whether or not he’d be able to replicate that kind of production once teams adjusted to him. Since then, he’s scored 160 goals in the four seasons that followed and was a vital member of the United States team that won the gold medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics for the first time since 1980. Thompson is the Sabres No. 1 offensive threat and should Buffalo’s power play regain consistency with their potent lineup, he’ll factor heavily into their success. Four seasons ago, Thompson had 20 power play goals, but in the three seasons since, he’s had 22 and just six last season. Buffalo’s power play was an issue throughout the season and their 19.5 percent success rate tied them with Florida and Seattle for 19th in the NHL. Thompson’s slap shot is one of the hardest in the league and it’s a weapon that when he’s able to unleash it is next to unstoppable.
Zach Benson
In just his third full season in the NHL, Benson took what was a frustrating regular season thanks to injury and transformed it into an evolution in the playoffs. The now 21-year-old from Vancouver had career-highs with 13 goals, 30 assists and 43 points in 65 games in the regular season. He followed that up with five goals and four assists in 13 postseason games and used his ever-present tenacity and pest tendencies to drive opponents batty in Boston and Montreal in the playoffs. Benson’s dogged forechecking and no-quit attitude frustrated opponents throughout the year which earned him time on the power play and the penalty kill for head coach Lindy Ruff. His work ethic and confidence in his game has allowed him to shine on a Sabres team that’s adopted a similar mentality to have success. What’s worth watching for Benson is how his newfound celebrity gained in the playoffs translates into a new season and for his career moving ahead. He signed a seven-year, $52.5 million contract extension following the season and with a $7.5 million cap hit, the expectation will be that the scoring numbers he put up in the WHL with Winnipeg will start to translate more regularly into the NHL. The Sabres will need him to do that throughout the season more often now that Alex Tuch is gone to Washington. After solidifying himself as a fan favourite in Buffalo, fans are eager to see what his next step will be. Should he stick with Josh Doan and Noah Ostlund or graduate to playing with Tage Thompson, offence should find him.
Jack Quinn
The new season is shaping up to be a fascinating one for Jack Quinn. He’s coming off a career year in which he had 20 goals and 51 points after playing in all 82 games for the first time in his career and he’s headed into a contract year on a Sabres team that will need him to take a big step forward. Quinn’s abilities have always tantalized scouts and fans alike with his creativity in finding shot lanes and to get high-quality chances on net. His shot is among the best on the team, and he’s shown the ability to set up teammates as well. If there’s been something that’s worked against him, it’s the consistency in producing offence. Quinn did his part to try and fill the net with 191 shots on goal, fourth most on the team behind Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch. Quinn should slot in as the Sabres No. 2 right wing although with how the talent is broken up throughout the top three lines. He and Josh Doan had roughly the same time on ice while Tuch led the way on the right side. With Tuch gone and Jiri Kulich likely returning, it could mean Thompson plays more on the right wing than centre. How that gets worked out shouldn’t affect the way Quinn is deployed, however. If he starts to find the net early and shows he’ll have a big contract year, he could be a fixture on the top power play unit.
Jason Zucker
Being one of the more senior members of the Sabres forced Jason Zucker into being of the veteran leaders on the team and despite injuries holding him to 62 games a year ago, he made the most of his ice time. Zucker was fourth on the team with 24 goals and he led the team with 10 power play goals. Always known for his quickness, Zucker used his tenacity to get to the net to tip pucks and clean up rebounds to score goals and proved to be one of the players who could rally the team in moments when they needed a jolt. Now 34 years old, Zucker posted 45 points last season while playing middle six minutes on the second and third line. While his ice time was steady in that role, he was a fixture on the top power play unit at the front of the net. So long as his teammates were able to get shots through, he was consistently around the goal mouth to improve those chances and provide goals when desperately needed on the man advantage. He’s been a picture of consistency in his career. In two seasons with Buffalo, he scored 21 and 24 goals, and he’s had 20 or more goals eight times in 12 full NHL seasons. With players older than 30 years old, you wonder when things will slow down, but since turning 30, Zucker has scored 20 three times. He’ll be the first to admit he wants to stay healthy more often, but so long as he’s producing the way he does, missing a handful of games is OK if it means getting that kind of offence and leadership.
Josh Norris
Much of Josh Norris’s career has had the qualifier, “when healthy” written about him and last season allowed that to be the case again. A pair of ailments held him to 44 games last season in Buffalo, but when he was on the ice, he produced well. Norris had 13 goals and 21 assists in those games. Although he had a goal and two assists in 10 playoff games, his speed and tenaciousness gave Buffalo a lift when he returned after a slow start to replace Noah Ostlund after he was injured. Norris was injured in the first game of the season and missed two months with an upper-body injury and missed another month of action after he was cross-checked in mid-January. As sick as Norris is talking about injuries, it’s just as frustrating for him to have to face up to them. Seeing how effective he is when he’s on the ice is what tantalizes everyone. His speed allows him to help drive his linemates to attack while his shot remains as a devastating offensive weapon. The added edge to his game keeps him in the middle of scrums as well and gets his teammates engaged in the fight with him. The Sabres want to see him in the lineup steadily and considering he’s yet to play more than 66 games in a season, Buffalo’s young depth at forward keeps them protected if Norris runs into more physical misfortune. He’ll be their No. 2 centre behind Tage Thompson or Jiri Kulich, and should he stay healthy more than not, he can be a dynamic offensive weapon. Unfortunately, the injury concerns will linger.
Josh Doan
When the Sabres acquired Doan last summer in the J-J Peterka trade, he was a bit of a mystery as to what he would provide as a full-time player in the NHL. His time with Arizona/Utah saw him play low in the lineup and not counted on to be a key offensive player. All of that changed last season with Buffalo. Doan became an instant star with 25 goals and 27 assists (52 points) and although he came in known as a player who will forecheck like mad and play strong defensively, his nose for the net and ability to turn defence into offence earned him immediate praise from the coaches as well as more ice time than he’s had in his career. It also earned him a seven-year, $48.65 million extension ($6.95 million cap hit) and immediate celebrity status in Buffalo. Doan’s play, performance, attitude and overall likable demeanor echoed that of his father Shane in enough ways to have people recall the similarities, yet the way Josh has done it is entirely all his own. He handled himself well in all situations, but he excelled at 5-on-5 by being everywhere on the ice. On the power play, his ability to crash the net served him well and led to nine power play goals, second most on the team behind Jason Zucker. As much as the Sabres want their shooters to score goals on the power play, just getting pucks to the net provided most of their success by having Doan there to clean things up. After emerging the way he did, the bar is raised for Doan going into the new season, but with his overall talent and work ethic, the sky is the limit.
Noah Ostlund
In a season in which Noah Ostlund began the year in the AHL, he made it a point to prove he wasn’t going to go back even if it made the situation a little uncomfortable for management. In 60 games, Ostlund had 11 goals and 16 assists and used his attention to detail in the defensive zone to make sure coach Lindy Ruff would never take him out of the lineup. His all-around game from the play in his own end to the immense offensive creativity in how he thinks the game and makes plays, something that was evident when Buffalo drafted him 16th overall in 2022 out of Sweden, made him the ultimate multi-tool for any situation. Ostlund’s play and performance forced him into the lineup during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and if not for an ankle injury in Game 5 against Boston, who knows what more he would’ve done after he had a goal and an assist in his playoff debut in Game 3. His poise and his willingness to not back down was crafted in the AHL but shined throughout the season with Buffalo and earned him a place to stay in the NHL. Although the offensive numbers didn’t jump off the page in his rookie season, he’ll play a much larger role on the team this season and the years to come. The respect he’s earned from coaches and teammates alike mean he’ll play in the middle six and should play on the power play and penalty kill units.
Jiri Kulich
Last season was meant to be a breakout year for Kulich, but it instead turned into a nightmare after he was diagnosed with a blood clot that caused him to miss all but 13 games including the playoffs. Kulich’s debut two seasons ago saw him score 15 goals with nine assists in 62 games, but in 13 games last year he had three goals and two assists. Kulich was slated to be a fixture on the top line with Zach Benson and Tage Thompson after they finished the 2024-2025 season strongly together, but the Sabres had to adjust on the fly quickly as Kulich’s health as well as injuries to a few others in the top of the lineup made things difficult quickly. After the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs, Kulich said he was finally cleared to skate and practice in full and so long as the blood clot issue stays away, he’ll be ready for the new season. What will be worth watching is how the lineup sets up with Kulich back but with Alex Tuch gone and other young forwards Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius stepping up to claim roles as well. Kulich’s electrifying shot and his ability to let it loose from anywhere gives him an advantage and whether he uses that from the middle of the ice or the circles, he can beat any goalie with it. His quickness and strength allow him to find room on the ice and the work he’s put in to be a better centre allows for lineup flexibility. If he comes back healthy and shooting, the Sabres offence will be that much better for it.
Ryan McLeod
When you think of Ryan McLeod, the first thing that comes to mind is his speed. As one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, he’s capable of helping make things happen just by being able to get away from defenders. Speed also allowed him to be a weapon when killing penalties as evidenced by leading the league in shorthanded goals last season with five. Although McLeod is mostly known for his speed and defensive prowess, he set a new career high for points last season with 54, a one-point improvement from the previous season. With 14 goals and a career-best 40 assists, McLeod again proved that he wasn’t just a defensive forward. Since joining the Sabres, he’s become a solid two-way player capable of scoring just as much as he is capable of frustrating opponents with his forechecking and skating. McLeod’s efforts on the penalty kill helped make Buffalo one of the best penalty killing teams in the league (81.9 percent, fourth in the NHL) and his ability to make a turnover into a game-changing moment while on the PK with a goal gave opposing teams reason to get nervous when handling the puck high in the zone. Whether he’s playing the third or fourth line this season, McLeod’s value comes in his overall situational use and ability to make offence happen even in limited minutes.
DEFENCE
Rasmus Dahlin
When Dahlin was taken No. 1 by the Sabres back in 2018, it was known he would become a great defenceman, and it was just a matter of when he would become one of the best in the league. After showing a lot of that ability two seasons ago on a Sabres team that didn’t finish well in the standings, leading Buffalo to the playoffs while excelling in all areas of the game while also dealing with personal tragedies showed that his time is now to be one of, if not the, best defenceman in the league. Dahlin finished third in Norris Trophy voting behind Columbus’ Zach Werenski and Colorado’s Cale Makar. He was second on the Sabres in scoring and set a career-high with 74 points, a total that was sixth among all defencemen in the league. His 19 goals were most among Buffalo defencemen and seventh most in the NHL among his defensive peers. His 52 even strength points were fourth most among defencemen. As the Sabres captain, bringing the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 puts him on a lofty stage in team history, but at 26 years old, it feels like we’re seeing an already excellent player take another step forward with his all-around play. The team goes as he goes and now that he’s among the best in the league, it’s no wonder the Sabres have worked into the conversation as Stanley Cup contenders.
Mattias Samuelsson
Two seasons ago, Mattias Samuelsson was jeered by fans in Buffalo after struggling to stay healthy and not performing well overall. Now those sour days are a memory after the 6-foot-4 229-pound blue liner broke out in a big way. Samuelsson was second among defencemen with 13 goals and his 41 points were one fewer than Bo Byram behind team leader Rasmus Dahlin. He made himself more of a fan favourite when he had three goals and four assists in the playoffs including the go-ahead goal in Game 1 against Boston when the Sabres stormed back in the third period after being down 2-0. Going into last season, Samuelsson had seven goals and 43 career points. That he nearly had double the number of goals and nearly equaled his career point total in one season is staggering and could be reason to be skeptical if he can do it again. However, the confidence he played with and that the coaching staff has in him offers him the chance to do something similar again. Samuelsson spent most of the season paired with Dahlin and while the thought might be that he took advantage of playing alongside a Norris Trophy finalist, nearly all of his offensive production came at even strength with just a goal and two assists coming shorthanded. Being paired with Dahlin again, most likely, means the opportunity to do it all again will be there as well.
Owen Power
There’s perhaps no more divisive player among Sabres fans than Owen Power. After he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, two years after the team took Rasmus Dahlin No. 1, the bar for what he was meant to do was set sky high. Although Power hasn’t been as dynamic of an offensive player as Dahlin, he excels in his defensive play and does a lot of the work that doesn’t show up in highlights. Power had the fewest points of his career last season with 29. His eight goals, however, set a new career high. He often quarterbacked the second power play unit but did not have any power play points and, later in the season, ceded time on that unit to Bo Byram. What Power does well is make great first passes out of the zone to start breakouts. He uses his long reach to force opponents outside in the defensive zone and he’s proven to be a strong player on the penalty kill. At 6-foot-6", he’s a massive player for opposing forwards to try and get around and although he doesn’t play as physical as you’d expect a defender that size to play, his intelligence and ability to do other things to shut down attackers makes it all work. With Byram gone to Chicago, Power’s ability to make great passes and read the offence may be in more need along with his defensive skills. That dynamic is worth paying attention to especially since the blue line was a strength for Buffalo last season that now has some questions to it.
Olen Zellweger
When Buffalo parted ways with Bo Byram, the question of how they would fill his role as an offensive spark plug from the blue line was answered quickly when they acquired 22-year-old Olen Zellweger from Anaheim. In two-plus seasons with the Ducks, Zellweger played second and third pair minutes and had 51 points in 164 games. Last season, he matched his career high with seven goals and added 15 assists for a career-high 22 points. Known as a smooth skating puck-handler with offensive upside, despite his game action he’s still finding his way in the NHL. Although Zellweger played 76 games last season, he played just three playoff games for Anaheim. Despite being scratched, he made the most of his time with a goal and an assist in the playoffs against Vegas. With the Sabres, it’s expected that Zellweger will play on the third pairing, although if he fits the way Byram did, it can’t be ruled out that he pairs with Owen Power. Zellweger will have a huge opportunity to prove himself and to prove the Ducks were wrong to trade him in Buffalo, but how it shakes out is up in the air. Given the mix Buffalo has on the blue line, there are questions about how it will shake out with Conor Timmins, Louis Crevier, Zach Metsa, Radim Mrtka and Dennis Gilbert also in the mix.
GOALTENDING
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (proj. starts: 35-40)
There’s something to be said for the fact that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen weathered the seemingly endless Buffalo rebuild without letting his game fall to pieces. The Finnish netminder remains one of the most entertaining spectacles in the Eastern Conference; he may be like a box of chocolates, but he’s never going to disappoint when the fans want a good show. Agile as ever, the 27-year-old starter continues to dazzle when he’s up against impossible shots - and behind a better defence last year, he avoided allowing quite as many inexplicable gaffe goals as he has in years past. As last season wore on, though – and in particular, as the postseason progressed – it became clear that he’s much better suited to a tandem role than a hefty workload. If he’s able to limit his appearances to a healthy split this season, it’s possible Buffalo will have finally found the secret sauce to letting him thrive.
Alex Lyon (proj. starts: 35-40)
It seems like every spring, another team has quietly relied upon the steady presence of journeyman backup Alex Lyon. He’s been developing a reputation as one of the most understated - but effective - number twos in the league, sliding in where needed for as many or as few games as a team needs him year after year. That makes him the perfect foil to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in Buffalo’s crease as they enter a pivotal year; the Eastern Conference’s longest-running lottery contender will look to prove that last year’s postseason appearance wasn’t just a fluke. A heavily shored up defensive corps makes things easier for Lyon and Luukkonen, but Lyon’s almost-textbook-precision style helps in its own way. He remains a little too slow during those truly high-danger moments to look like a heavy-hitting starter in the making – and at almost 34, he’s approaching his regression years, not getting faster – but his ability to shoulder the workload without getting goaded into panicking make him both an effective tandem and a great relief pitcher when Luukkonen loses his rhythm and has an off night.