Another edition of Sabres fans mailbag is here. The burning question: Who on the Buffalo Sabres will have a breakout season in 2022?
Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner had really good seasons last year. What did they both have in common? Both of them had over 30 goals. With that being said, who will breakout this season for the Buffalo Sabres in 2022-23? Yesterday, I took to social media and asked Sabres fans who will breakout for the Sabres this season.
I got tons of responses, most of them answering with the same player. I’ll save the most common used answer last but let’s get started. Will said, “I’d love to see Dahlin really solidify a top 5 NHL d-man spot. He’s very capable.” It’s definitely possible if Dahlin broke out this season.
Going back to last year, Dahlin was looking like the defenseman everyone envisioned him to be. After a slow start, Dahlin picked up the pace as the year went along so he’s a great candidate to be Buffalo’s breakout player.
Fans all over Buffalo Sabres nation had differing opinions on who will be the breakout player in 2022-23
Kevin says, “I can see Krebs having a solid season. Probably somewhere in the 40-point range but I have a feeling his two way play is gonna be top notch this year.” I 100% agree with this. Krebs was viewed as the main piece of the Jack Eichel trade and did pretty well last season. It’ll be interesting to see if he can breakout this season.
I going with Krebs. Seems everyone is forgetting how much talent he really has yet he has not come close to his ceiling.
— Bruce Kirk (@formergoalie) September 6, 2022
Again, Krebs is a talented player and while he’s not getting talked about enough with the talent on this roster, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did breakout this year.
Gotta be Mittelstadt. Dude has to feel a lighter under his *** with the Sabres acquiring so many young centers in the past year. Krebs & Cozens will be looking to take his “spot” this year, & Savoie & Kulich very well could be in the mix next year.
— jack quinn’s elf bar (@mcthroaty) September 6, 2022
This is an interesting answer. Mittelstadt still hasn’t lived up to the expectations. As a top 10 pick and you’re not really producing, questions start to arise. I’m rooting for Casey and I hope he can breakout, it’s possible with the talent he’s surrounded by.
Comrie, Just going to say he reminds me of @martybiron43 Again sitting behind and learning from a great goaltender. Now that he has a shot I think he will show out. Plus he's just a happy-go-lucky kid and likes to talk as much as Marty so communication shouldn't be a problem.
— EDWARD CARIER (@EJCARIER) September 7, 2022
Before we get to the most common answer, new Sabres goalie Eric Comrie was mentioned. Honestly, he very well could. This is his chance to show that he is an NHL goalie and with the current Sabres goaltending situation, Comrie can show that the Sabres signing him was the right move.
Alright, let’s talk about the last player and I’ll just show the responses and talk about them after.
https://twitter.com/SigShiesty99/status/1567240257640304643?s=20&t=bqVOYqs4QuO5jC2QFtnLNw
https://twitter.com/Jordandelmont2/status/1567202000495955969?s=20&t=bqVOYqs4QuO5jC2QFtnLNw
Aaron: “Hard to pick just one but I think I’m gonna go with Cozens. With how he played at the Worlds and I fully expect him to be in the top 6, if he stays healthy, I think he’s gonna surprise a lot of us.”
Chris OBrien: “Cozens hopefully.”
George Caomhánach: “Cozens.”
As you can see, the majority of the responses all say Dylan Cozens will breakout for Buffalo. Which is ironic because I just wrote about him breaking out last week. I see Dylan being the breakout player for Buffalo. I’m not sure if it’ll be like Tage or Jeff, but Cozens is poised to take a big step this season.
Who do you think will be the breakout player on the Buffalo Sabres this season? One of the above, or someone else? Let us know in the comments.