Are the Sabres Ready to Take the Next Step and be a Playoff Team?
Photo Credit: theathletic.com
The Sabres currently have the longest active playoff drought in hockey, with 13 years of no playoff hockey in Buffalo. Sabres general manager Kevyn Admas has a young roster of players, but that can’t be the excuse anymore. First-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin in 2018 has now played 436 NHL games; centerman Tage Thompson is approaching his 8th NHL season; and second-line centerman Dylan Cozens is about to play his 300th game next season. The point is that the young cornerstone pieces of the franchise have NHL experience; there is no excuse for this team to not take a big step forward within their core and be a playoff team once again.
The Sabres were close to the postseason last year by missing the playoffs by a single point with 91 points, but this past year, in a year where it seemed no one wanted the last wild card spot in the eastern conference, the Sabres took a step back by having 84 points and being 7 points out of a playoff spot. This called for extensive change within the organization during the season and in the off-season. First, start with the move made at the trade deadline, where they sent young center Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche for Bowen Byram. Mittelstadt, at age 25, is a very solid second-line centerman. In 62 games with the Sabres this past year, he had 14 goals and 47 points. To acquire talent, you must pay the price, and that is what Adams did here; in return, they would get a top-four young defenseman, Bowen Byram. Byram didn't get the chance to show all his potential behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews in Colorado. Though he looked very solid in the 18 games he got to play with the Sabres after being dealt, the Sabres arguably have a top-5 defensive group now in the NHL, with all being young talent, as Byram, Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson are all under 25 years old.
As the regular season was disappointing, there would be a change behind the bench as head coach Don Granato, who was hired in 2021 and went 122-125-27 in 274 regular-season games across four seasons, was fired. Brought in was a familiar face in Lindy Ruff, the former head coach of the New Jersey Devils. Ruff is the winningest coach in Sabres history, as he made the playoffs eight times with the Sabres from 1997 to 2013. He will have his hands full in a competitive Eastern Conference to help bring the Sabres back to a winning culture.
As free agency approached, the Sabres made a shocking move to buy out the contract of Jeff Skinner, who had 25 goals this past season and was a 30-goal scorer in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Skinner had 3 years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $9 million. This buyout raises concerns as no Sabre had a 30-goal season this year, and Skinner was second in goals on the team. The Sabres finished 23rd in the league in goals, so why would you want to pay a bonified 20-goal-per-year guy to play against you when your team needs goals? With the buyout coming before the start of free agency, Adams would look to spend the money saved from the buyout to replace Skinner and help the team.
With money to spend and a ton of talent available on the free agent market, many fans were disappointed by the Sabres not landing a big ticket in free agency. Still, signings were made. Adams would snag veteran forward Jason Zucker for a one-year contract worth up to $5 million. Zucker is a pesky player who can produce, as he has six seasons of 20 or more goals, and he had 27 two years ago with the Penguins. Zucker is also a good option in the net front on the powerplay, as the Sabres had rough times on the man advantage, finishing 29th in the league. The next notable move was bulking up the depth in the bottom six, adding Nicolas Aube-Kubel to a one-year contract who had 16 points in 60 games with the Capitals last year, and then adding 4th-line centerman Sam Lafferty to a two-year contract. Lafferty is a speedy player who can put the puck in the back of the net, scoring a career-high in goals with 13 with the Canucks.
The next move would come via trade with the Edmonton Oilers. The Sabres would land Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio from the Oilers in exchange for forward prospect Matt Savoie. McLeod is a fast centerman and will get more of an opportunity to flourish in Buffalo, not being behind the best two players in the world. Although prospect Matt Savoie is a project, it could work out in Edmonton with an offensive-minded team. This trade proves the Sabres need immediate impact players, as Adams's job could be on the line if the Sabres falter again. These moves are good, but they do not thread the needle enough to view Buffalo as a threat in the Eastern Conference.
In net, the Sabres have a good situation with two young goalies, Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Luukkonen stepped up and took the job for himself, playing 54 games with a record of 27-22, a save percentage of.910, and a career-best goals-against average of 2.57.
The Eastern Conference is tight. With the current offseason the Sabres have, there is no doubt they will be in playoff contention, but that will be the ceiling this year. Many teams are going to be fighting for the last two wild card spots. The Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators look to take a step forward; the Capitals were busy; and the Penguins still have a top-five player in Sidney Crosby. The Sabres have talent and youth, and now it's time for the players to take action and reach a new level this year.