The Buffalo Sabres finished the 2022-23 season as the third-highest scoring team in hockey, and the forwards played a big part in it.
The Buffalo Sabres may have barely missed the playoffs, but don’t mistake that for bad hockey. While they undoubtedly suffered through some lean stretches, the Blue and Gold also played well enough to score 296 goals in 2022-23, placing them third in the league.
So for the annual grades/snapshots article, it’s safe to say that it’s going to be fun, and not a drag, to write. This team was just too good offensively for the most part, so, spoiler alert, every member of the Sabres who finished the year on the active roster received a passing grade, though the actual letters themselves vary.
In case you were wondering, here is th e grading criteria I used for each forward:
- How they looked in their unique role
- How they played compared to how they were expected to play
- How likely each player would be in the lineup for 2023-24
Grading each Buffalo Sabres forward from 2022-23
The Top Scorers
Tage Thompson
With 94 points in 78 games, Tage Thompson was one of the NHL’s highest scorers. And if it wasn’t for an injury that hampered him over the final few weeks, Tage may have hit the elusive 100-point mark. If he stays healthy in 2023-24, don’t be surprised if he is a top five scorer league-wide. Grade: A
Jeff Skinner
Jeff Skinner’s 82 points were a career-best, and the narrative that long surrounded his once-infamous contract extension all but evaporated. Though he could enter 2023-24 as the Buffalo Sabres oldest skater, don’t look for him to regress any time soon. Grade: A
Alex Tuch
Alex Tuch finished just one point shy of 80, and had he not missed an extended period, he’d have eclipsed the mark easily. Tuch also showed leadership skills necessary to potentially wear the ‘C’ patch when the puck drops in October. Grade: A
Dylan Cozens
With 68 points in 81 contests, Dylan Cozens came eight points from doubling his 38 scored in 2021-22. He also played a significant portion of the season on one of the NHL’s youngest lines alongside Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka, forming a trio called ‘The Kid Line,’ or ‘The Fun Line.’ He is a candidate for team captaincy in 2023-24. Grade: A
Casey Mittelstadt
No one on the Sabres improved more than Casey Mittelstadt in 2022-23. He was the only member of the Blue and Gold to play in all 82 games, and his 59 points was more than double his previous career high. If he has a repeat season in 2023-24, and he probably will, look for him to remain part of the team for a long time. Grade: A