5 outstanding building blocks for the Buffalo Sabres

Feb 25, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (53) takes a shot against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (53) takes a shot against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports
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Buffalo Sabres
Feb 27, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Tage Thompson (72) celebrates and left wing Jeff Skinner (53) and right wing Alex Tuch (89) celebrates a goal scored by Thompson against the Dallas Stars during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Amidst a lost season the Buffalo Sabres have still managed to build on the solid foundation that has meshed together in March 2022

The Buffalo Sabres have a lot of hope moving forward. Yeah, they’ve turned in some abysmal performances, but if March serves as an indicator, they’re a team turning the corner with a few cornerstone players rising from the ashes of the NHL’s longest playoff drought.

These days, the Sabres, despite just logging 55 points so far this season, have at least five players aged 25 and under that fans can get excited about. Of course, we can name a few more than the five listed in the following slides, given the sheer youth on this team.

One cornerstone player not listed but must be discussed is Jeff Skinner. Since Skinner is going on 30, he does not appear in the following slides. However, if this article talked about five franchise cornerstones regardless of age, Skinner would have a place on the list.

Especially given his 26 goals in 63 games this season. The guy has experienced a career renaissance under head coach Don Granato. That said, a few more players listed below have had a similar experience. Whether they spent time in Buffalo before this season or somewhere else.

Reverting back to Skinner for a second, he also has this in common with the following players despite his age: He too can expect to be in town for quite a while entertaining fans at the KeyBank Center. 

So who are these five building blocks who should, barring anything unforeseen, remain Buffalo Sabres for at least the next half-decade? Keep reading to find out.