Buffalo Sabres: When do the NHL, AHL, and ECHL seasons start?

The Buffalo Sabres pretty much have their roster set for the 2020-21 season, but when is that expected to start for the NHL and its counterparts?

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Buffalo Sabres to shut down operations early, along with the Senators, Sharks, Devils, Kings, Ducks, and Red Wings. At the time, the rest of the league was allowed to continue on to the playoffs.

Of course, that means the Buffalo Sabres haven’t played a game since March 9th and it’ll likely be another few months before opening day.

The question that’s on everyone’s mind is when we can expect opening day to arrive. The initial target date for the NHL was December 1st, but that was recently pushed back to January 1st.

While that’s still a possibility, it’s becoming less feasible the longer they go without a plan. Without any official direction, the NHL could be doomed for a start as late as February.

Many fans are losing patience, especially since the NBA was able to figure out their plan rather quickly. Keep in mind, the NBA crowned a champion two weeks after the NHL did. And the NBA already released their plan and are targeting a start date of December 22.

Of course, the NBA doesn’t rely on fan attendance as much as the NHL. Not only that, but the NHL has more Canadian teams involved, which makes traveling difficult (travel restrictions).

So, what is the NHL currently looking at? 

As of right now, they seem committed to this January 1st start date, but don’t be surprised if we have to wait until February.

The odds of having an 82-game season are slim and they’re likely leaning towards a 48-65 game season. For those that don’t remember, the last two shortened seasons due to lockout were 48 games long.

I guess the good news is the NHL has already dismissed doing away with the season all-together, which wouldn’t be a good idea for anyone involved. I’m not saying it’s guaranteed there’s a season because anything can happen, but it looks like we’ll get some sort of NHL season.

So, what about the Rochester Americans?

The Rochester Americans (AHL) played their last game on March 11th, just two days after the Buffalo Sabres’ final game of the season. The AHL was initially targeting a return on December 4th, which would’ve coincided perfectly with the NHL’s original plans.

Unfortunately, those plans have since changed and the new target date for the American Hockey League is February 5th, 2021. It would still allow them to match up well with the NHL season, which might be needed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The target date is a little more set in stone than the NHL’s. Again, anything can happen, but the main question surrounding the AHL is how rosters with the NHL will work. Traveling restrictions might make it difficult when calling up or calling down players, which is something they need to hash out over the next few months.

And finally, what about the Cincinnati Cyclones?

In regards to the ECHL, they also have a much clearer idea of what their season will look like. In fact, they’ve decided to roll with a two-phase start to the season. The first phase starts on December 11th, while the second phase begins January 15th.

What does that mean for our Cincinnati Cyclones? Unfortunately, they aren’t one of the 13 ECHL teams that start on December 11th, but we’ll get to stack those beer cans starting January 15th when the Cyclones join the festivities.

There were two teams, thus far, that decided to opt out of the season — the Atlanta Gladiators (Boston Bruins’ affiliate) and Norfolk Admirals (Arizona Coyotes’ affiliate). They’re expecting the season to be over by June 6, 2021 and will likely use win percentage to decide playoff hockey.

I know it’s been a long wait, but the Buffalo Sabres are doing everything possible to ensure they have competitive rosters to roll out this season. No matter how many games we get to watch, it should be an exciting season for Sabres’, Americans’, and Cyclones’ fans.

We really hope you enjoyed this blog about our beloved Buffalo Sabres. We look forward to continuing the conversation with the best fans in the world down below in the comments section.