A lot has been made about the new additions to the Buffalo Sabres this offseason, and rightfully so. The Sabres must take the next step and find a way into the playoffs, whether through the new coach, newfound speed and physicality, or a jump in development by the team’s young core. While the incoming players bring new hope, there are aspects of the former Sabres not brought back that will be missed.
Don’t forget, the Sabres were a point out of a playoff spot a couple of years ago and essentially decided to run things back with the same roster. Buffalo heads into the 2024-2025 season without longtime lineup mainstays Jeff Skinner, Casey Mittelstadt, Victor Olofsson, Kyle Okposo, and Zemgus Girgensons. Tyson Jost and Eric Robinson are not returning as depth forwards, and Erik Johnson’s first season in Buffalo became his only.
Other former contributors to the Sabres last season who are not returning to the organization are goalie Eric Comrie, top AHL call-up Brandon Biro, and prospect Matthew Savoie.
There are justified reasons, of course, for moving on from these players, but that does not mean that a part of their game will not be missed. Here’s one thing that the Sabres will not easily replace from their former players next season, beginning with the longest-tenured.
Zemgus Girgensons
Attribute Provided: Unphased
Girgensons is a workhorse who keeps his head down and plays hard. The “Latvian Locomotive” will be missed as he was a steady presence on and off the ice, who didn’t seem to get disrupted or intimidated by anything. You can always count on Girgensons to go out for his next shift, play heavy, compete, and be responsible defensively.
His assumed replacements (Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel), will also bring grit and add more speed, but whether they match Girgensons’ demeanor remains to be seen.
Kyle Okposo
Attribute Provided: Sheltering Young Players
As Okposo hit his 30s, like most players, his game started to decline. He had to adapt and adjust on the ice, and successfully converted into a bottom-six grinder from a top-six scorer. His key attribute provided the last couple of seasons, however, had to do with his leadership and being the one the rest of the team referred to as “dad”.
Once Okposo was traded to the Florida Panthers, there was no longer that one person standing in the locker room after every game ready to address the media, win or lose. He’d take the angst of explaining away losses that weren’t his fault, and he was the one guy any Sabres player could approach and confide in when struggling.
Without Girgensons and Okposo, perhaps the new leadership core is ready to spread its wings and fly. They might even be better off for it, but if things get tough, it’s because “dad” is no longer there to shelter them. Looking at you, Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson, and Dylan Cozens.
Casey Mittelstadt
Attribute Provided: Playmaking
At times in 2023-2024, Mittelstadt was Buffalo’s best offensive creator. His playmaking boosted everyone on his line, and even as the de facto third-line center he found his way into crucial scoring moments. His replacement is Ryan McLeod, who has underlying signs of being a good playmaker but has yet to convert that into the point totals on the level of Mittelstadt.
Any time you trade your leading scorer, there will be scrutiny. The former Sabres center will forever be linked to defenseman Bowen Byram, but McLeod and company can ease the burden. The offensive production of Mittelstadt will have to be replaced in the aggregate, with bounce-back seasons from Thompson, Cozens, and Tuch going a long way in filling the void.
Jeff Skinner
Attribute Provided: Five-on-Five Offense
Replacing Skinner’s 92 goals over the last three seasons has been a big talking point this offseason after the Sabres decided to buy out the remaining three years of his deal. The truth is, the $9 million forward was a net-negative player at even strength last season thanks to his poor defense.
Skinner’s ability to contribute offensively at even strength is his M.O. Over the last three seasons, only Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, and Filip Forsberg averaged a more significant offensive impact at even strength per Evolving-Hockey. Skinner ranks sixth, while Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid rank seventh and eighth, respectively.
Not one single addition could replace Skinner’s offense one-for-one (although Nikolaj Ehlers, the subject of some rumors, would be close). Instead, because hockey’s a game of scoring more than your opponent, the Sabres will hope to make up for their former winger’s departure by playing better defense.
Victor Olofsson
Attribute Provided: Powerplay shot
If there’s one dynamic trait associated with Olofsson, it’s undoubtedly his shot. Whether he tees one up for a one-timer or uses his electric release on a wrister, he can pick his spot and beat goalies clean with time and space. Olofsson lost his spot on the top powerplay as the unit became stagnant, and Buffalo’s powerplay production never really recovered since.
The Sabres head into 2024-2025 with two open spots on the top powerplay unit. With Alex Tuch at net front, Tage Thompson at the left flank, and Rasmus Dahlin quarterbacking up top, Buffalo needs to audition players for the right flank and bumper positions.
Jack Quinn and Dylan Cozens are right shots, leaving JJ Peterka as the most likely right flank replacement for Olofsson long-term. Peterka has never succeeded in the role, however, and the Sabres could be searching for more in place of Olofsson and his dynamic shot.
Tyson Jost
Attribute Provided: Versatility
Versatility is the one thing Jost best provided to the Sabres, whether by playing center or wing or being able to play third-line minutes and kill penalties. Lafferty provides more dynamic skating and hitting ability and can play center or wing and kill penalties as well. The one thing he can’t do is center a third line.
Jost has solid enough offensive instincts to mask a void up the lineup for a few games. Lafferty doesn’t provide quite the same, although his usage could free up Peyton Krebs to be that player. However the Sabres work it, it’s going to take a little more shuffling than the former plug-and-play approach they had with Jost.
Eric Robinson
Attribute Provided: Size
Okay, we’re reaching a bit here, as Eric Robinson is only listed at 6’2″ but plays big. 6’3″ Beck Malenstyn is not only a one-for-one replacement, but probably an upgrade. Considering Malenstyn is taking Girgensons’ fourth-line left wing spot though, the “size” missing is really in the depth.
Whether Krebs, Lafferty, or Aube-Kubel are the extra forward, their insertion into the lineup will boost speed, not size. As for call-ups, only Brett Murray or prospect Anton Wahlberg provide the big, heavy game. Again, it’s not much of a detriment to the Sabres, who are moving in a different direction with their bottom-six.
Erik Johnson
Attribute Provided: Penalty Killing
If there’s one area Johnson was starting to come around on last season, it was on the penalty kill. The unit struggled the first half of the season before everything started to click. After being traded at the deadline, the Sabres relied on Owen Power and Connor Clifton heavily in shorthanded minutes. A rotation of Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, and Bowen Byram filled the secondary minutes.
With Mattias Samuelsson expected to return and assume a top PK spot, the Sabres will have to adjust to using two left-shot defensemen on one of the top units. No Johnson means Clifton is the only right-shot regular in the role, which is okay but not ideal.
Eric Comrie
Attribute Provided: Positivity
If you’ve ever met Comrie, you know that he’s just a great person to be around. Even in a difficult situation as Buffalo’s third goalie, Comrie kept a positive attitude and stayed grounded. He was honest in his answers about his frustrating lack of opportunity, but his demeanor suggested that he was very understanding and supportive as a teammate.
James Reimer was in a similar goalie situation last season in Detroit, but his play and injuries made him the primary backup for most of the season. If the Sabres cast him in the same light as Comrie, it will be interesting to see how he handles being cast aside and getting leapfrogged by Devon Levi at times throughout the season.
Brandon Biro
Attribute Provided: Organizational Reliability
Biro was a go-to guy for the Sabres organization as a member of AHL Rochester. His name was the first to be brought up when a call-up was needed thanks to his positional versatility and reliability in all situations. Biro signed with the Seattle Kraken this offseason and is headed to one of the better AHL teams in Coachella Valley, leaving the Sabres looking to replace their former top call-up.
Matthew Savoie
Attribute Provided: Top Prospect Hope
Savoie played under four minutes in his NHL debut, so what could he have possibly provided to the Sabres that they’ll miss?
The answer is hope.
As with any top prospect, their biggest value provided is the “yeah, but look what’s coming” talk within the organization and among the fans. Not all top prospects pan out though, and the ones that do aren’t necessarily pivotal players in the NHL.
Without Savoie, and the longer it takes Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen, and Noah Ostlund to make it to the NHL, the talk of a top prospect pipeline will fade. Elite prospects play in the NHL in year one and the cream of the crop that don’t, force their way into the NHL by year two.
Savoie, Kulich, and Ostlund are entering year three since being drafted. Rosen is entering year four. Nine players from the 2022 first round already have extensive stints in the NHL. Nearly half of the 2021 NHL first round have established themselves in the NHL.
The Sabres are cutting into that hope and excitement around a prospect by losing Savoie. What else they’re going to miss out on remains to be seen.
