This time last year, few major sports outlets had a high opinion of the Buffalo Sabres. These days, everyone seems to like them, and that’s very, refreshing.
In June 2022, despite the Buffalo Sabres embarking on an incredible run between March and April, no one thought highly of the Blue and Gold. The attitude toward the Sabres didn’t change until sometime between December 2022 and January 2023, when it became apparent that the team was better than initially advertised.
Though Buffalo fell into some pitfalls, like their abysmal run throughout most of March 2023, they still found themselves in playoff contention until the 80th game of the season. That alone was a success, given the way most outlets counted them out before they even took the ice.
Earlier today, Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report published their offseason guide for all 32 teams. And after reading through the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, and even the Boston Bruins segments, the Sabres were the only team of the four listed with one need: Goaltending.
Bleacher Report had some kind words for the Buffalo Sabres
While I have to disagree with Gretz to an extent, since I’ll also say the Blue and Gold could more than use a top four defenseman as opposed to a goaltender-though if they do acquire one, then I’m fully onboard with trading Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen-it was still fun to see that the Sabres were the only team listed with one need from the Ducks to the Dallas Stars, who also had just one, which was scoring depth.
So what did Gretz have to say? Here’s a short snippet from their piece:
"“They barely missed the playoffs in 2022-23 and are bringing back one of the most exciting young teams in the NHL. Their offense is one of the best in the league, and led by Tage Thompson who has emerged as one of the most physically dominant scorers in the league.“Their defense is led by a trio of young stars: Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.” via Bleacher Report."
Quite the endorsement, right? Hey, this past season, the Buffalo Sabres foreshadowed what lies ahead, and that’s an offensive-minded powerhouse that showed they can literally score against anyone when they get hot.
Sure, the defensive rotation saw its fair share of miscues, but as I said, swap out the need for goaltender with a top four blueliner, and watch the Sabres more than earn a playoff berth for the first time since 2011. We’re still just under four months away from the puck dropping, but the hype is already building.
Source: Complete 2023 Offseason Guides for Every NHL Team by Adam Gretz, BleacherReport.com