Are the Buffalo Sabres closer to their division rival than we think?

The Buffalo Sabres look like a team that has been lost so far in 2023-24, but those growing pains could alleviate sooner than later.

This past Tuesday night, and all season, it has looked like the Yzer-plan has gotten the best of what Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has been trying. The Detroit Red Wings look like one of the NHL’s best teams and they can easily pace the Eastern Conference this year while the Sabres look as though a 13th season without a playoff berth is in their future.

However, Max Bultman of The Athletic has given us good reason to believe that may not be the case, as his following quote gives you a good idea of the avenues the Red Wings could go:

"“But when you look at the other bench, and see a team filled with young talent still finding its way, it’s also impossible not to wonder: Are you looking back at a stage the Red Wings have now passed, or even skipped? Or is it simply a glimpse into all the hurdles that still lie ahead?”"

Source: Have the Red Wings surpassed the Sabres? In the big picture, not so fast

Steve Yzerman could have indeed found a way to skip what Adams and the Sabres have been going through for quite some time. Or, he could be more than delaying the inevitable while the Sabres, though seemingly lagging far behind the Red Wings, could be poised to jump higher and further than many in the NHL universe may believe either in the back half of 2023-24, or next season.

We have also seen ultra-young teams in sports struggle through growing pains only to take major unexpected leaps in the years that followed. While it looks brutal for a Sabres team that has yet to mesh this season, there is also a good chance the growing pains will be short-lived.

Buffalo Sabres growing pains could be a much shorter hurdle than anticipated

Rasmus Dahlin went through such issues, and he’s one of the best in the league at his position now. Casey Mittelstadt is one of the Blue and Gold’s go-to players after struggling for years, and just two years ago we saw Tage Thompson make similar strides.

Such evolutions show us what’s in store for players like Owen Power, Zach Benson, and Dylan Cozens – though the latter had an incredible year in 2022-23, he’s currently been so-so at best. But remember, Dahlin fell into a similar lapse following a good year in 2019-20.

With recent history in mind, it shows us that yeah, the Buffalo Sabres look light years behind Steve Yzerman and his Red Wings. Not only does Bultman’s work lay out a compelling case that this may not be true, but recent history in the City of Good Neighbors also suggests short-lived growing pains while Yzerman is just delaying the inevitable.

Or perhaps Yzerman is working around it and did outsmart Adams? If things keep going at their current rate, then come 2024-25, it will be Yzerman 1, Adams 1 if we’re just going back to 2022-23 when I started to really break both methods down. Or, as mentioned in a piece yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres may just need to learn how to sustain what was some unexpected success that they encountered last season.