In this article, I’m going to give you three Buffalo Sabres players, one from each position, who will climb another rung on the ladder in 2023-24.
There’s no denying the Buffalo Sabres have some very good players. Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens are just a few. In fact, I did predict Cozens to have a breakout season last year and he did.
I know the NHL Draft is tonight and free agency is coming up, but I am already looking forward to next season. In this article, I’m going to give you three players on the Sabres roster, one from each position group, who will make an even greater impact during the 2023-24 campaign.
Peyton Krebs is up first. Krebs came to Buffalo along with Alex Tuch in the Jack Eichel trade, and he has established himself as a solid depth guy for the Sabres. In 74 games played last year, Krebs scored nine goals and registered 17 assists.
While his offensive numbers are not crazy, Peyton became a player who wasn’t afraid of throwing his weight around and getting into fights. His physical style is exactly what Buffalo needs. As for this season, I can see him getting around 10-15 goals.
One D-Man and goaltender set to make a greater impact for the Buffalo Sabres
The next player who is poised to make a greater impact this season is Owen Power. He was nominated for the Calder Trophy and even though he didn’t win, it was good to see him getting some recognition.
The former first overall pick scored four goals and registered 31 assists in 79 games played last year. He’s about to play in his third season and I think he’s poised to step up offensively. I would not be surprised if Power was able to score at least 10 goals next season and record 50 points.
Defensemen take time to develop and Power is still very young. But I think he will take the next step this year.
For my final player who can breakout, Devon Levi. This one was a no brainer for me. In the small sample size we saw of him last year, Levi was awesome in the games he played for the most part. He went 5-2-0 with a GAA of 2.94 and a SV% of .905.
Barring something crazy, I expect him to be on the roster this year. Depending on if the Buffalo Sabres do add a goalie, I can see Levi starting a good chunk of games. If he can play like we expect him to, there’s a good chance Devon gets 20-30 wins.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)