The Buffalo Sabres season opens tonight and there is a lot to love about this young, but talented roster. Here are three reasons to get excited.
Opening Day is finally here, and the Buffalo Sabres will take on the Ottawa Senators, a team that added some dynamic puzzle pieces to their respective fold. And while the Sabres added little flash to their roster, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get excited over it, especially if you are like me and you prefer teams who build within the organization.
The Sabres roster is young, and given the recent signings of Tage Thompson and Mattias Samuelsson, it shows that they are committed to holding onto their young talent for at least the next five to seven seasons. With talent brewing from fourth line forward to the third pairing on defense, the Sabres 2022-23 roster is going to win over a lot of fans, onlookers, and even critics. Let’s explore why this roster is so exciting.
1 – The Buffalo Sabres are just now coming into their own
If March and April 2022 held any indication, it is that the Buffalo Sabres were starting to turn a corner. And with this roster comprising roughly the same talent as last season with the additions of three rookies, defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, and Eric Comrie, this Sabres team can easily average 3.14 goals per game for the entire 82-game slate.
This also means they are capable of accumulating more points than many critics expect, and could score as much as 257 goals, putting them over the 250 mark for the first time since 2007-08.
2 – Stability, stability, and more stability
Looking at the Buffalo Sabres roster, their only real concerns lie at goaltender. With top prospects Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi playing in Rochester and Northeastern, respectively, the Sabres needed some patchwork there and they got it with Craig Anderson and Eric Comrie.
But when you look at the rest of the roster, it is a stable one. Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch all have contracts that will keep them in the Queen City long-term. Mattias Samuelsson signed on for another seven seasons, and it is only a matter of time before the Sabres lock up Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, and others.
3 – The roster is young, but gaining experience
While we saw immense growing pains from the Buffalo Sabres in 2021-22, the young roster did gain valuable experience playing together. This is one reason you should expect to see the Sabres perform better than many critics otherwise believe.
No, they are not an overly experienced group just yet. But since this is essentially the same roster as last season with three additional rookies, a new defenseman on the third pairing, and a part-time starter at goaltender, you can expect them to win a few more games this season they otherwise would have lost last year.
Overall, the Buffalo Sabres probably won’t take themselves to the playoffs in 2022-23. But they will grow as a team and they do have potential to stick around the playoff race for most of the season.