Looking Ahead: Who will be the Buffalo Sabres captain in 2024-25?
By Sion Fawkes
With Kyle Okposo signing on for what may be his final season, the Buffalo Sabres will be looking for someone new to wear the C sooner than later.
Recently, Matthew Morris of The Hockey Writers listed current Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo as one of the best in team history. For such a young hockey team that is just now emerging from its dark ages, Okposo has done a phenomenal job, and he deserves that recognition.
While it’s true he’s only worn the C for a season, as Morris pointed out, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a leader in the past. Look at Alex Tuch, who didn’t even wear an A last year. We can collectively agree that he’s also a leader for this team, and Tuch would make a fine case to lead the Sabres in 2024-25 if this is indeed Okposo’s last season and assuming he once again wears the C.
Which Buffalo Sabres player will most likely succeed Kyle Okposo in 2024-25?
At the moment, this article is nothing but pure speculation, as Okposo could easily surprise us all and sign on for yet another season in 2024-25. I’m not saying this will happen, but if you read this content regularly, you know I try to leave no stone unturned, so the possibility will be there until it isn’t.
Three players jump out at me – Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin, and Dylan Cozens. Dahlin is already wearing an A, so that could give him a leg up on the competition. He’s also a vocal, physical player whose on-ice presence immediately ramps up the energy. Cozens is pretty much in the same mold as the Sabres star defenseman.
But then there is Tuch, a local boy who wanted to be a Sabre before he got that opportunity in late 2021 via the Jack Eichel trade. He won the RICO Award just last season, and if you’re keeping track, Okposo won it in 2021-22. So that could foreshadow something for next season should Okposo hang it up after 2023-24.
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Like Dahlin, Tuch has shown off his leadership ability on and off the ice, the fans love him, and the two-way power forward has become a franchise cornerstone. If I had to make a prediction 13 months before the 2024-25 season – I know, I’m getting ahead of myself – then I’m going with Tuch.
Source: Buffalo Sabres’ Best Captains in Franchise History by Matthew Morris, The Hockey Writers