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Projecting the 2023-24 Buffalo Sabres lineup 3.0 after re-signings

By Sion Fawkes

SUNRISE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: Jeff Skinner #53 of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates his goal with Mattias Samuelsson #23, Rasmus Dahlin #26, Alex Tuch #89 and Tage Thompson #72 after Skinner scored his second goal of the game against the Florida Panthers during third period action at the FLA Live Arena on February 24, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: Jeff Skinner #53 of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates his goal with Mattias Samuelsson #23, Rasmus Dahlin #26, Alex Tuch #89 and Tage Thompson #72 after Skinner scored his second goal of the game against the Florida Panthers during third period action at the FLA Live Arena on February 24, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 02: Mattias Samuelsson #23 of the Buffalo Sabres clears the puck during the third period at the TD Garden on March 02, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) /

Defensive Pairings

The Buffalo Sabres defensive pairings will still not contain an actual name lining up alongside Owen Power in this projection, though I have recently thrown around some viable candidates. Last night, I wrote about the possibility of them trading for Noah Hanifin. I also outlined an additional three defensemen the Blue and Gold could trade for during or even following the NHL Draft.

So what do I currently think the pairings would look like at the moment? Check them out below:

  • Dahlin – Samuelsson
  • Power – Defenseman X
  • Stillman – Lyubushkin
  • Jokiharju

Dahlin and Samuelsson could become one of the game’s best duos this season. And since they are both still in their early 20s, it shouldn’t surprise any of us if they resided at the top of the league for the next decade.

Power will team up with Defenseman X, and again, you can learn more about who that mystery player could be in my most recent articles involving a few name-drops. As for the third pairing, I rolled with physicality, with Riley Stillman overtaking Henri Jokiharju and Ilya Lyubushkin taking up the right-defense spot.

Despite the demotion, I can still see Jokiharju rotating into the third pairing with Lyubushkin. The latter struggled with injuries last season, so seeing him in a timeshare with another RHD makes sense.

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