It’s “here we go again” time for the Buffalo Sabres. This long-suffering franchise, which has been out of the Stanley Cup playoff picture for 13 long years now – finishing higher than sixth place in their division just once in that span – is once again going to be in a ferocious battle just to get into the post-season this coming year. And despite their numerous roster changes this summer, the Sabres are ranked by THN’s annual yearbook to be the fifth-best team in the Atlantic Division. By the end of the season, they could be a disappointment yet again. But let’s look at what needs to go right – basically, just about everything – for Buffalo to land a playoff berth.
What’s clear about the Sabres’ off-season makeover is that GM Kevyn Adams wants more grit and determination out of his bottom-six group of forwards, and more experience overall. Adams brought in forwards Sam Lafferty, Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Ryan McLeod to fill out his third and fourth lines, and while they did take a small hit in terms of their overall talent – moving from veteran sniper Jeff Skinner to aging winger Jason Zucker, and bringing in journeyman goaltender James Reimer as goalie insurance – the Sabres are aiming to be tougher to play against.
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 13, 2024
They’ve already got some great young pieces in place, from forwards J.J. Peterka, Jack Quinn, Dylan Cozens, Peyton Krebs and Zach Benson to goalies Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. But Buffalo’s biggest strength right now is their defense corps. Blueliners Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram and Henri Jokiharju are their top-four D-men, so the Sabres are set for the long-term on the back end. They allowed the 11th-fewest goals-against (averaging 2.96 goals-against per game) this past season, and a full year with Byram on board after he was acquired from Colorado should only help matters in 2024-25.
That said, we suspect Buffalo is only going to get back into the playoffs if their high-end talent ratchets up their game and leads the way for the rest of the team. That means a bounce-back season from star center Tage Thompson, whose individual numbers last season (including a 29-goal total, down from 47 goals in 2022-23) were not impressive. Indeed, when Buffalo’s top point-getter (winger Alex Tuch) had only 59 points last year, you can see why the Sabres had the 10th-worst offense in the league (averaging 2.98 goals-for per game) last season. Their defense gave them the chance to win games, but their offense did not come through as hoped.
Unfortunately for Buffalo, they play in what is now the NHL’s toughest division in the Atlantic Division. So, even if they do turn things around in the win/loss columns, the Sabres are going to need either an Atlantic team like the Tampa Bay Lightning or Boston Bruins to stumble somewhat, or they’ll need Metropolitan Division fringe playoff teams (Pittsburgh, Washington, and the New York Islanders) to finish low enough in the standings to put five Atlantic teams into the post-season.
In any case, there’s no longer room for excuses about stunted development or injured players derailing Buffalo’s playoff aspirations. This young group has to take steps themselves to push the Sabres into the post-season, and they’re going to need all their ducks to line up in a row to end their playoff futility streak. Bear in mind, Buffalo is going to be competing with fellow Atlantic up-and-coming teams in Detroit and Ottawa, as well as an improved Montreal squad, as they attempt to climb the standings. But there are no guarantees for the Sabres. No one will be handing them a playoff spot.
If that all-around improvement doesn’t happen for Buffalo and they miss the post-season again, Adams almost assuredly will be dismissed at the end of the 2024-25 season, and his successor will re-jig the roster for the umpteenth time. The problem is, we’ve heard the word “rebuilding” for years and years now in Western New York, and the success that often follows a full rebuild simply hasn’t been there for the Sabres. Their long-suffering fan base expects nothing less than a playoff berth this season, but if the stars do align for them, that success may finally be at hand.
It’s now about getting through the grind of the regular season for Buffalo to see the light at the tunnel’s end, but on paper, the Sabres should stop being a sad-sack group and at long last be playing meaningful games at and beyond mid-April. And if they fail in that regard, Buffalo fans will be at their wit's end.
