3 reasons why the Buffalo Sabres will end their playoff drought

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Dec 21, 2010; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Craig Rivet (52) celebrates a third period goal with teammates during a game against the Anaheim Ducks at HSBC Arena. Buffalo defeats Anaheim 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

Recent roster upgrades

The belief among a few in the Buffalo Sabres faithful is that general manager Kevyn Adams did not do enough. But I digress. He needed a physical defenseman and he got one in Ilya Lyubushkin. Physicality was something I constantly droned on that the Sabres lacked a season ago, and Lyubushkin will bring that element to the ice.

They needed a goaltender, and they went out and signed Eric Comrie. Despite his limited time playing at the NHL level, Comrie’s 0.920 save percentage is promising. Ditto for his 10-5-1 record. Despite a spotty preseason, Comrie will be okay when the games count.

We also saw the Sabres bring up J.J. Peterka and Jack Quinn. Quinn impressed during the preseason and should find regular time on the second line. While Peterka had his issues, he also acclimated well to the game as the preseason wore on.

We also cannot forget about Owen Power. And while Power was technically a roster upgrade in 2021-22, he played in just eight games. It was a cameo appearance for who is arguably the league’s top prospect. Since 2022-23 is his first full season, I will label him as an improvement over what we had last year.

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