Sabres’ perfect move in 2025 NHL offseason

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The Buffalo Sabres have missed the playoffs for 14 straight years. That ties them for the longest playoff drought in the Big Four American professional sports with the New York Jets. Long gone are the days of Dominik Hasek, Rob Ray, and Miroslav Satan, and with them, chances to compete for the Stanley Cup. Still, the Sabres made multiple moves this offseason to return them to relevance. There is one move that stands above the rest, and it was the perfect move this offseason by the Sabres.

The Sabres still have a young, strong core of players. At forward, their average age currently is just 26 years old, while the average age of one of their defenseman is just 24.8 years old. It is a young group of players, but a group with plenty of experience now. Kevyn Adam is not five years into the job as the Sabres general manager, but has yet to produce a winner. Further, they have regressed in recent years. After missing the playoffs with 42 wins and 91 points in 2022-23, they would have 84 points the next year, and then 79 in 2024-25. While this is better than when he took over as the GM, it is still a far cry from playoff contention.

Regardless, the Sabres were in a solid position with the salary cap coming into this summer, and could make some moves. They did make some transactions that should improve the club. While competing in 2025-26 may be difficult, the franchise could be on the right track for the first time in a while.

The Sabres made the most of their summer

Buffalo’s summer got off to a disappointing start. It became clear that re-signing J.J. Peterka was not going to be a possibility, and the team traded Peterka to the Utah Mammoth. They would bring in Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring in the deal, but that does not replace the production of their former star player. Still, the team would continue to build and make moves regardless of the trade.

They brought back Jack Quinn on an extension. The former first-round pick was a restricted free agent, and he has been solid for the club. They also re-signed Ryan McLeod on a four-year $20 million extension. The former second-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers got a solid contract from the Sabres. He had a career-high 53 points this past season and is heading into his prime years.

The Sabres also took care of Bowen Byram. He will be a major part of the defense going forward, and while this is a blue line that has struggled, much of that has been due to goaltending, which was addressed this offseason.

The team also took care of a recent trade acquisition, bringing back Conor Timmins on a two-year deal. The franchise would also add multiple depth signings, and while many of them will not make a massive impact on the team, it was still a solid offseason for the Sabres. Their best move came in the goal, though. This was a major issue of need for the Sabres, and they took care of that this offseason.

Alex Lyon was the perfect move for Buffalo

Buffalo was awful in goal in the 2024-25 season. They were tied for 29th in the NHL in goals against average and 30th in the league in save percentage. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the primary goaltender for the team, going 24-24-5 with a 3.20 goals against average and a .887 save percentage. Those are not numbers for the primary goaltender that will get them into the playoffs. Still, the team did not have many directions to turn.

One option was to go with James Reimer, who was brought in via trade and was a free agent at the end of the season. He was better, going 10-8-2 with a 2.90 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. Still, at 37 years old, he was not expected to be part of the future of the team. Devon Levi also saw time at the NHL level, but was dreadful. He went 2-7-0 with a 4.12 goals against average and a .872 save percentage. It was clear, he still needed time at the AHL level to improve his game.

The team brought in Alex Lyon to help be a bridge for the team. He broke into the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers and has spent time with the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, and Detroit Red Wings. While he is 32 years old, he has shown himself to be a competent goaltender in the NHL. In 113 games, he is 51-38-11 with a 2.99 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

He was recently the primary goaltender for the Red Wings and will push Luukkonen for the starting job. While he is not a goaltender of the level of a Ryan Miller or Hasek, he is a solid netminder who can win games when needed. For a team trying to return to relevance, signing a solid backup or potential starting goaltender was a major move for them.

Can the Sabres return to the playoffs in 2025-26?

The city of Buffalo has become accustomed to heartbreak. Between the “no goal” game for the Sabres in 1999, “wide right,” and “the music city miracle,” the city has seen its fair share of disappointment. Still, the fact that the Sabres have missed the playoffs for 14 straight seasons has been rough for the city. The chances of that drought ending are slim. At the time of writing, according to FanDuel, they have the second-worst odds in the Eastern Conference to make the playoffs, only ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Losing a player like Peterka does not help that.

Still, they addressed some major needs this offseason. They did lose some offensive ability with the loss of Peterka, but they also may have lit a fire for Luukkonen. With Lyon being just 32 years old, if Luukkonen cannot perform, he can be replaced at this point. Further, the team has Levi in the minors and will allow him to grow his game there. While Lyon is not the best goaltender in the league and will not be competing for awards, he is solid. He gives the Sabres flexibility and could improve the roster overall.