Everyone, not just fans of the franchise, knows the pressure the Buffalo Sabres are under entering the 2024-25 season. The team has made its share of solid moves and puzzling ones as well. With the NHL Draft and free agency behind us, there is no choice now but to look ahead.
This is a pivotal season in the history of the franchise. The historic drought, now at 14 seasons and running, must come to an end sooner rather than later. Succeed, and the proverbial monkey has been removed. Fail and the franchise likely faces having to press the reset button yet again. That said, the Sabres have what it takes to get over the hump.
Trying a Different Approach
Virtually everywhere you look, negativity follows. General manager Kevyn Adams is rightfully on the hot seat. The team didn’t make the big, sexy splash that many within the fanbase had been hoping for, instead settling on smaller and potentially beneficial acquisitions.
Rather than focusing on the negativity that has festered over the last 14 seasons, let’s take a different approach. Let’s look at the positives. And let’s look at why the Sabres can finally get back to playing postseason hockey.
Reasons the Buffalo Sabres Can Make the Playoffs
A quick note about this group. This isn’t the rebuild Sabres that tanked and still couldn’t come out ahead (this writer will remain bitter about the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery for the rest of time). There is talent throughout the roster and speed to burn. So, let’s get into the biggest reasons the Sabres could get back to the postseason.
Better Team Defense and Sense of Urgency Under Lindy Ruff
Team defense has seemingly been an issue for ages. It was the albatross that ultimately kept the Sabres from reaching the playoffs two seasons ago. That should improve the moment the team convenes on the ice under Lindy Ruff.
During his previous time with the Sabres, defensive hockey was the name of the game. That mantra, and the greatest goalie of all time, nearly resulted in a Stanley Cup championship. Ruff demands defensive responsibility out of everyone on his roster, which is a major reason for the buyout of Jeff Skinner.
Perhaps just as importantly, Ruff will not be afraid to hold his players responsible and put the proverbial foot up their rear ends. Former Sabre Casey Mittelstadt’s comments following his trade to the Colorado Avalanche commented on the difference in practice, saying, “The most impressive thing about this team, in my opinion, is the speed at which they play at, and the speed which they practice at.”
There will be no soft practices under Ruff. Every player will be expected to put in the work, be responsible with and without the puck, and play a 200-foot game. That’s the kind of thing that has been missing throughout the playoff drought.
A Rebound From Several Players
The first thing to note about the 2023-24 season – other than it being a massive disappointment – is that virtually everyone took a step back. Granted, the 2022-23 season was as fun as it was because so many guys had achieved career-best marks.
Just one season later, Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, and others took dramatic steps back in production. Jack Quinn suffered a pair of injuries that limited him to just 27 games. Aside from J.J. Peterka, everyone failed to live up to the prior season.
It is only natural to expect that most of those names will rebound in some form. Thompson looked more like himself down the stretch after being hampered by a hand injury. Cozens showed more fire and followed it up with a spectacular appearance at the IIHF World Championship.
Ruff will no doubt light the proverbial fire under guys like Tuch, Cozens, etc. If the group can remain healthy, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility to expect major bounce-back years from the most crucial names that helped get the Sabres to 91 points in 2022-23. With improvements elsewhere, it could be the difference.
A Strong Back End
Speaking of the aforementioned trade that brought defenseman Bowen Byram to Buffalo, there was a noticeable jump in the play of the defense in the final quarter of the season. We know that Dahlin is a stud capable of playing 25-plus minutes per night and offensive output that few defensemen can top.
Byram and Power have excellent mobility, and both are capable of contributing in a significant way offensively. If Henri Jokiharju and Mattias Samuelsson can stay healthy, the Sabres will have an excellent defensive core.
If Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is going to repeat the success he experienced in the latter half of last season, the defensive group and team defense will need to be there.
An Improved Bottom-Six
One of the key issues coming into the offseason was the need to revamp the bottom six. The group lacked not only scoring prowess, but physicality and toughness. Those concerns are now gone thanks to trades and a couple of free agent signings.
Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel will make up the fourth line. All three are physical, play with good speed, and have a tenacity that the Sabres have been missing. If the goal was to get tougher to play against, the fourth line achieves that.
Free agent signee Jason Zucker and trade acquisition Ryan McLeod will inject speed and versatility into the third line. Zucker can play further up the lineup if need be, and McLeod thrived in Edmonton even when not playing with the big dogs. What was once a glaring weakness could very well be a strength this season.
Ending the Drought
It has been 14 long seasons season the Sabres played more than 82 games. Though the fans did not get the blockbuster they were hoping for, the team looks better on paper today than it did previously.
The team will need to stay healthy and have more than a few major contributors to find their game of two seasons ago. If that happens, if Ruff can make them better defensively, and the fourth line can become a problem to the opposition, this could be what Sabres fans have been desperately waiting for.
