The Sabres’ window to win is wide open. They can’t afford to waste it again.
The Sabres need to stop treating their best chance to win as something always a few years away. With Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin under contract, the foundation is already here. Buffalo should be building a team capable of competing for a Stanley Cup while those deals are in place. Every season spent waiting for the perfect roster is another season lost.
Thompson carries a cap hit of roughly $7.14 million through 2029–30, while Dahlin is signed at $11 million annually through 2031–32. That gives Buffalo four more seasons with both players on their current contracts. Four seasons can sound like plenty of time, until one becomes another development year and the next becomes another year spent fixing the same problems. The Sabres need to approach that stretch with a clear expectation of winning. Thompson contract details, Dahlin contract details, via PuckPedia
Thompson’s deal is especially valuable because it lets Buffalo build around him. Getting that kind of goal scoring for just over $7 million should leave room to build a deeper, more complete team. Dahlin’s contract is a larger investment, but it gives the organization certainty at one of the hardest positions to fill. With the contracts being handed out this summer, fans can thank the COVID-era static cap growth. Buffalo knows the cost of two foundational players for years. Management should be using this certainty to address weaknesses and give them a legitimate chance to win.
Alex Tuch is the reminder of what happens when too much of that opportunity slips away. At $4.75 million annually, he gave Buffalo a productive top-line winger at a price that should have made building around him easier. He scored at least 33 goals in three of his final four seasons with the Sabres. That was exactly the kind of contract teams need when they are trying to assemble a contender, and Buffalo spent most of its portion of that deal outside the playoffs.
The 2026 breakthrough deserves credit. Buffalo finally returned to the postseason and beat Boston for its first playoff series victory since 2007. That mattered to the players and to a fan base that had waited far too long. But one successful spring at the end of Tuch’s bargain contract does not erase the opportunity lost before it. Imagine what several years of meaningful games and playoff experience could have done for this core.
There is also a difference between criticizing how Buffalo used Tuch’s affordable years and believing the team should have paid whatever it took to keep him. His move to Washington came with an eight-year, $84 million contract. Passing on that commitment is defensible, while still acknowledging that Buffalo should have done more when he cost a fraction of that price. The mistake was allowing so much of the bargain to expire before the team became competitive.
This lesson needs to guide the next decisions. Prospects and draft picks have value, including their ability to bring in established players who help Thompson and Dahlin now. Buffalo should keep developing young talent, but it also needs to recognize when waiting for another player to become ready costs more than making a trade. With every significant move, the question should be whether it improves the team’s chances during this window. The Hellebuyck drama will be monitored closely, but he will be a difference-maker wherever he goes. With Ruff liking Thompson on the wing, the team’s two biggest holes are a legit #1 center and a goalie, both of whom can steal games on their own. Their depth is what made the Sabres great last year, and the current roster should be the same.
The Sabres do not automatically stop being contenders when Thompson’s contract expires. Players can re-sign, younger teammates can take on larger roles, and a good organization can extend its success. But Buffalo cannot assume the same combination of production, cost, and health will still be available years from now. They already let most of Tuch’s bargain deal pass without taking advantage. Thompson and Dahlin should not reach the end of theirs with Buffalo still explaining how promising the future looks. Both are playing their best hockey and still have many prime years left.
Benson, Doan, and Ostlund are all locked up now on long-term deals at $7 million cap hit or less. The Sabres currently have just over $29 million in cap space for next year with 15 players signed. Their UFAs are Zucker, Danforth, Carrick, Timmins, Lyon, and Ellis (unless he plays 12 games, he will remain an RFA). Their RFAs on the roster are Quinn (arb. rights), Kulich, and Crevier. Between Lyon and Ellis, one of them will definitely be re-signed, with Ellis ahead in that race. Zucker could be re-signed at a reduced rate, while the others will likely walk. With the three RFAs, they’ll need a great season to land a big-money, long-term contract. So there is plenty of room to add real difference-makers this season and next summer.
Go for it, Jarmo; the whole city is behind you now. Just making the playoffs isn’t good enough, and I think he knows that.