Health
Injuries and bouts with COVID-19 decimated the Sabres roster earlier in the year to the point they employed regular taxi squads just to ensure they had enough players on the roster. The result? A disastrous December through February.
Now healthy, with defensemen Colin Miller and Will Butcher returning, the Sabres have shown that improved health naturally means an improved product on the ice. It’s no coincidence a healthier Buffalo Sabres team has translated to a 6-3 record from March 2nd to March 21st.
Although a healthy Sabres team doesn’t rank among the NHL’s best, they have shown to at least rank in the middle of the pack in this 32-team league. Injuries will still occur; they’re part of the game. So the team’s next mission is to adopt that “next man up” mentality to ensure injuries won’t derail future seasons. And that comes with them building solid depth across the organization.