Could the Buffalo Sabres reach the 50-win mark in 2023-24?

Could the Buffalo Sabres have a realistic chance to reach the 50-win and 100-point mark for the upcoming 2023-24 season? Let’s debate.

You have to go a long ways back to the last time the Buffalo Sabres reached 50 wins. The last time Buffalo reached the 50 wins mark was the 2006-07 season where they finished with 53 victories. Over the course of 16 years, Buffalo reached at least 40 wins four times.

Most recently, they won 42 games last year. I think playoffs are the goal for the Sabres this season but it’s worth wondering if 50 wins are a possibility. It’s no secret Buffalo’s offense was their greatest strength last year.

They had one of the best, if not the best offense in the league. Unfortunately, their defense was a huge weakness. It cost them losses last year and you can say goaltending was an issue as well. In the offseason, they didn’t make a ton of moves but they improved the blue line.

Can the Buffalo Sabres snag 50 wins?

With the additions of Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson, the Sabres have some new faces to help out with the defense. So at this current moment, can Buffalo get to 50 wins this year? It’s definitely possible.

However, the Blue and Gold need almost everything to go right. The offense will need to stay strong which I think they will, the defense needs to not play like they did last season and the goaltenders will have to do their job.

The biggest factor for me is the blue line. They cannot have the breakdowns that they had last year. So many times they would leave whoever was in net left out to dry and would also give up so many shots in a game.

We know that they are capable of getting to 40 wins, now it’s time for them to take the next step. It’s a bit unclear whether or not they can at this point and we have not seen them play hockey yet. But as long as everyone does their job, then it’s possible they can.

(Historical data provided by Hockey-Reference)