Buffalo Sabres Ultimate Player Rankings: Players 5-1

Once upon a time, the top five players on the Buffalo Sabres were probably not even remotely close to gracing the top five of most NHL franchises.

The Buffalo Sabres improved to 91 points mainly because of their ability to score, and they ended the year with an astounding 296 goals. Each of the following players listed showed the ability to put up big numbers, but you might be surprised of how much they also contributed to other aspects of the game.

While it wasn’t so easy to figure out the other tiers on previous lists, for the most part, anyway, ranking the top tier was quite the opposite. Look for the following names to perhaps enjoy a couple of seasons in the top five, as they are all either entering, or are firmly entrenched in the prime of their respective careers.

The scary thought? None of them look as though they’ve reached their respective threshold.

Buffalo Sabres Ultimate Player Rankings – No’s 5-1

5 – Dylan Cozens

Like a couple of members of the Buffalo Sabres this season, Dylan Cozens enjoyed a breakout year. Not only did he score 68 points and 31 goals, but Cozens took better care of the puck, he logged 55 hits, and he also showed he could be a leader on this team for the duration of that long contract he signed. What’s the scariest part about this? Cozens is only one season into his prime.

4 – Jeff Skinner

We didn’t know if Jeff Skinner’s 63-point season in 2021-22 was a one-year wonder, or if it was legit. To tell you the truth, it was more than legit, as he logged 82 points and 35 goals, officially putting an end to all the criticism regarding his contract. So, now the question bodes, what will the host of Between Two Stalls do for an encore? 

3 – Alex Tuch

Alex Tuch scored 79 points this past season, and you can blame that lower body injury he suffered in February for denying him of scoring 80-plus points on the year. But it also foreshadowed what’s to come. Not only was Tuch effective at scoring, but he also logged 54 hits and an astounding 64 takeaways. He’s a do-it-all player who will be in his prime for a while now.

2 – Rasmus Dahlin

I will tell you this right now: If Rasmus Dahlin wasn’t forced to play through an injury, he’d have likely run away with the Norris vote – even with Erik Karlsson’s monster numbers. The Buffalo Sabres alternate captain hit and intimidated opponents like none other, exchanging words the entire time. He also ended the season with 73 points, 15 goals, and 58 assists, leading us all to ask what he’ll be capable of if fully healthy all season.

1 – Tage Thompson

Tage Thompson is yet another name on this list leaving us all to wonder what could have been had he not also played hurt during that late-season run. In 78 games, Tage scored 94 points, with 47 goals and 47 helpers. He also led the NHL with four hat tricks, and was third in power play goals. Overall, it was an elite season, but we still haven’t seen the best of Tage Thompson.

And that’s a wrap. Our rankings from this season looked dramatically different from what we had last year, but that’s just a sign of progress. And like I said, next year, you probably won’t see much variation, with each of the above players still in their prime and will probably be there for a while – even Jeff Skinner, who is now on my side of 30.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)