Major outlet’s ranking shows how far Buffalo Sabres have come
By Sion Fawkes
Just one year ago, most major outlets ranked the Buffalo Sabres near the bottom of the NHL power rankings. But 2023 is a different story.
The Buffalo Sabres were, at best, slated to be the seventh-best team in the Atlantic Division in 2022-23. If you remember correctly, the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators made a flurry of roster moves while general manager Kevyn Adams made a few low-key signings in hopes of giving his prospects room to graduate to the Queen City.
While the Red Wings and Senators toiled in mediocrity, the Sabres, despite not making the playoffs for the 12th straight season, overachieved with 91 points, finishing ahead of Detroit and Ottawa. These days, major outlets like ESPN.com has taken notice, ranking the Blue and Gold 13th in the league and ninth in the Eastern Conference.
However, with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tampa Bay Lightning facing inevitable changes, I have no doubt the trio that finished ahead of the Sabres and the Eastern Conference-winning Florida Panthers will continue their respective declines. But small steps, right? The Sabres also ranked ahead of all but four teams in the West.
Buffalo Sabres improvement shows in the ESPN power rankings
Want more fun? The Blue and Gold also ranked as the best of the non-playoff teams, edging out organizations like the Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, and Winnipeg Jets, all of whom punched a respective ticket into the postseason.
Some of the league’s more stable teams over the last few seasons also ranked behind the Sabres, most notably the Pittsburgh Penguins, who clocked in 21st, and the Washington Capitals, who were 23rd. This without a doubt shows that there is a changing of the guard is well underway.
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And best yet, the Buffalo Sabres could very well end up as the NHL’s youngest team, or one of the youngest, next season. Teams with so much youth aren’t supposed to rank so highly regardless of the sport, yet here they are, sneaking past playoff teams, a few who have been perennial contenders. It’s going to be very exciting to see what next season holds, and we are roughly four months away from kicking it off. Three really, if you count training camp and the preseason.
Source: NHL Power Rankings: Way-Too-Early edition for 2023-24 by ESPN Staff, ESPN.com