Quick Hits as We Prepare to Kick Off the Season
We are getting close, Sabres fans. Off the heels of their first playoff appearance in forever, the 2026-27 season is inching closer.
Many NHL pundits, YouTubers and NHL fans are expecting a drop-off from Buffalo. I do too—to an extent. I doubt the Sabres reach 109 points again, but I still expect them to be a good, competitive team and probably finish second or third in the Atlantic Division.
Look around elsewhere, though, and you will see some much more pessimistic predictions. Fourth place seems to be the common expectation, with some projections dropping Buffalo all the way to seventh. The losses of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram certainly factor into that, but I think there is also a widespread belief that last season was simply a one-year fluke.
Well, let’s see what the Blue and Gold have in store for us. Hockey is almost upon us again.
As the season approaches, here are a few quick hits on my mind as we get ready for another year of Buffalo Sabres hockey.
- GOALTENDING: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon gave Buffalo a pretty reliable tandem last season in net, and having Colton Ellis developing right behind them gives the organization some additional depth. There were some breakdowns in the playoffs from both goalies for sure but I fully expect a return to form. Luukkonen in particular seems to be in a good mindset. And compared with some of the other question marks on the roster, I wouldn’t be surprised if goaltending ends up being viewed as a strength again. Many forget that the Buffalo Sabres team save percentage last year was .907 (ranking third in the NHL)
- TEAM TOUGHNESS: The losses of Jordan Greenway, Josh Dunne and even Logan Stanley leave the Sabres noticeably short on toughness. Louis Crevier adds some much-needed size and physicality, but I’m not sure it’s enough. Especially among the forward ranks. That could make games against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning especially challenging this season. The Sabres win with speed and scoring but some teams will try to drag Buffalo down with cheap shots and punishing play. I’m not sure they have the horses to handle that.
- BORDERS: We all know the Sabres sing both anthems at every home game because of their proximity to Canada and large Southern Ontario fan base. All seven Canadian teams do the same, regardless of the opponent. Not to get political, (you either, please!) but that could make for some interesting times this season if Canada’s political ire with the United States starts to show at games. We love and support our Northern neighbors in general and sure hope our Southern Ontario fans stick with the team!
- TAZ TIME: Fresh off The Athletic’s 2026 U23 rankings — and Corey Pronman’s rather baffling 124th-overall placement of Zach Benson — our lovable carnie looks ready to further cement his legend. Benson now has his new seven-year deal, three NHL seasons under his belt and a memorable playoff run behind him. Now, he’s ready to take the next step offensively. I believe Taz is going to break out with 20-plus goals and 60-plus points this season. The offensive numbers should take a significant jump, but the hard-working, tenacious pest of a player isn’t going anywhere. That relentless style is a huge part of what makes Benson so effective, regardless of how much offense he produces. Zach is already a young cornerstone for this franchise, and after what he showed in the playoffs, I’m expecting him to take another big step forward in 2026-27.
- NO CHANGES: The Buffalo Sabres signed head coach Lindy Ruff to a two-year contract extension back in May and retained his entire coaching staff. After the amazing success this team had last season, that decision wasn’t particularly surprising. But two problem areas remain that this same coaching staff has yet to figure out—and they will have another season to try. The power-play and face-offs. Buffalo’s man advantage was dreadful for long stretches last season. Inept, lost and seemingly helpless at times, the Sabres finished 20th in the NHL at 19.5%. That’s not an outright disaster on paper, but there were far too many stretches where the power play looked completely out of sync. Then there’s the face-off issue, which has been an Achilles’ heel for the Sabres for quite some time. They bottomed out last season, finishing 32nd in the NHL at just 45.9%. That’s not a minor weakness—it’s a problem that can consistently put a team behind the eight ball. Maybe Buffalo simply learns to work around these deficiencies again. Maybe the power-play improves with better execution and another year of familiarity. Maybe the face-off numbers bounce back naturally. To me, these are still two glaring weaknesses. They could eventually drag this team down or force Buffalo to continue finding ways to win despite them. EDIT: Most of these topics were written one to two weeks ago before I was out of town for 10 days. Since then, the Sabres have expanded the role of assistant to the GM Eric Staal, who will now assist with Buffalo’s power play. Lindy Ruff has some ideas and wants to instill Staal’s success as a player on the man advantage into the Sabres’ system. Ruff desires to “Get the power play lower on the ice and not above the circle, getting below the hash marks, and getting more people closer to the net.” In his career, Staal scored 133 power-play goals, including six straight seasons with 12 or more on the man advantage. Lindy’s new approach while adding Eric’s successful experience shows the team knows they have to be better, and that is an encouraging sign.
- DOANER: Josh Doan left a strong first-year impression in Buffalo, scoring 25 goals and 52 points. For the Sabres to make the playoffs again, they’ll need another strong season from No. 91. Scratch that—they’ll need an even better one. Doan is expected to see more time in the top-six this season, so scoring 30 goals and 65 points is a very realistic target. He also showed he can elevate his game when it matters most, scoring three goals and 10 points in 13 playoff games during his first trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was one of Buffalo’s better players throughout the postseason. I fully expect Doan to pick up right where he left off when October rolls around. If he takes that next step offensively, it could be a huge boost for the Sabres.
- ZELLY: I have said this elsewhere, but I really feel like Olen Zellweger can be Bo Byram-Lite this season. He has many of the same attributes, including being a sound shooter and skilled puck distributor. Olen also has great speed and plays the 200-foot game Lindy Ruff wants from his defensemen. He just turned 23 and only has parts of three NHL seasons under his belt, so Bo still has the advantage when it comes to experience and development at the NHL level. Byram also refined his defensive game with the Sabres this past year before bolting for the big bucks, and Zellweger still needs to do the same. Offensively, though, he has a lot to offer and possesses a similar skill set. He scored seven goals and 22 points with the Ducks last season. In Buffalo’s system, I believe he can elevate those numbers and potentially approach Bo-like production. If he gets mostly 2nd pairing duty, I expect Olen to put up 35-to-40-points for the Sabres, and honestly, I’d be surprised if he didn’t.
- DBTB: Lastly, with another Buffalo Sabres hockey season upon us, I’d like to take a moment and thank all the fellow knuckleheads here on the site. We have gone though hell and back for 14 seasons and were finally rewarded with good fortune in 2025-26. It was quite a run by our boys and more good things are expected of them. So here is to another playoff bound season (we all hope) and more good fortune than you can shake a Beer Sabre at! After this season, I want to see a hundred memes of sad faced Bo and Alex looking up at the Sabres skating around with the Cup. Make that happen, please.
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