The Buffalo Sabres may have added a 20-goal scorer this offseason, and it’s not who you may think. With the season projections starting to trickle in, one surprising name, Sam Lafferty, has an upside projection of 20 goals for the Sabres. The versatile, hard-nosed forward is slotted for a fourth-line role for Buffalo. This would add valuable scoring depth to the bottom six.
Lafferty was signed as a free agent on July 1st after a career goal-scoring year in Vancouver. He registered 13 goals and 24 points for the Canucks, playing mostly as a fourth-line right winger. There were times when Lafferty’s speed and ability to open up the ice helped him get promoted to superstar Elias Pettersson’s wing. The notable vote of confidence from head coach Rick Tocchet is a good sign for his prospects in Buffalo.
12 goals were Lafferty’s previous season-high, which he recorded in 2022-2023 for the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs. He combined for 27 points with both teams that season, his career-best point total. Points aren’t everything for a player like Lafferty. That said, the recent boost is notable for what to expect for Buffalo this year.
Lafferty Goals Projection
PuckLuck.com projects 14 goals and 27 points for Lafferty in the upcoming season. Posting his best scoring totals while playing with Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aube-Kubel would be impressive. Considering neither of those players is a legitimate scoring threat, his projected linemates aren’t expected to add much offensive value.
The projection would rank Lafferty tied for eighth on the Sabres in goals. Zach Benson and Ryan McLeod are also projected to score 14 times. Six of the seven Sabres ahead of him are predicted to score 20 goals or more. This list includes forwards Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Newcomer Jason Zucker, who scored 20 or more goals in a season six times, comes in just shy of the 20-goal mark.
Related: Which Sabres Forwards Are Fantasy Hockey Relevant?
Lafferty Profile
Lafferty is similar to other fourth-line players across the NHL, as an aggressive, physical player. He draws a fair amount of penalties thanks to his speed and hard-nosed style. This compares him to entertaining fourth-liners like Walker Duehr, Justin Danforth, and Cal Clutterbuck.
The most interesting trait Lafferty has shown is his finishing ability, scoring well above expected. He doesn’t shoot at a high rate, but his ability to find a way to put the puck in the net plays into his recent goal-scoring spike.
Lafferty Upside
One of the benefits of using PuckLuck’s projections is that they give an “upside” value on top of the standard point projection. That’s where what Lafferty is capable of may surprise you. The ceiling for the new Sabres contributor, according to the site, is 20 goals and 37 points.
It would take over a whopping 17% shooting percentage, but the 20-goal upside is encouraging for Buffalo. The team bought out Jeff Skinner, who averaged 30 goals over the past three seasons. Between Zucker, McLeod, Lafferty, and the maturation of some of Buffalo’s younger forwards, the Sabres will have to make up for the vacancy in the aggregate.
Lafferty’s ability to score also suggests that he can fill in on the wing on a more offensively-focused line in spot duty should injury trouble arise. This is good news since the other options are Peyton Krebs, who has only found success at center, or a call-up of an unproven rookie. Compounding the conundrum, Krebs has yet to sign his qualifying offer as a restricted free agent.
Even if Lafferty fails to reach the 20-goal mark, the Sabres should be satisfied with a double-digit goal total. His line, with Malenstyn and Aube-Kubel, is expected to be one of the more difficult to play against in the NHL. Sprinkle in Lafferty’s threat to score with the speed, physicality, and aggressiveness the line brings, and the Sabres may have found a diamond in the rough.
