We take a look at the top players from the 2024-2025 season for the Sabres. It was another tough season for the Sabres as they finished 36-39-7 good for 79 points, but still unable to make the playoffs.
There is some good from the season as many key players had fantastic seasons, and we will look at those players now.
1. Tage Thompson
Thompson is coming off an impressive 44 goal season, the second most in his career. As well as leading the NHL in even strength goals with 37. If the Sabres can get their power play together next season, Thompson will definitely have the opportunity to score 50.
Thompson led a Sabres offense that was 7th in the league in goals per game. Thompson was also a massive presence in the locker room this season. After he took a dirty hit against the Devils where none of his teammates retaliated, it set the tone for the rest of the season. The Sabres went on to finish the season seven games over .500 and competed all the way till the end of the year.
Thompson is the leader of this offense, he is the top player on the first line and makes others around him better. Take JJ Peterka for example, he is coming off a career season in both goals and assists after playing with Thompson and totaling 68 points.
Thompson has been a firm believer in making Buffalo a contender, and having a leader like this can put Buffalo back in the playoffs next season.
2. Ryan McLeod
McLeod made the most of his first season in Buffalo as it is safe to say he took off in this season after being acquired from Edmonton this past offseason. Mcleod posted 53 points this season, the combined total he had in the past two seasons in Edmonton.
He recorded his first 20-goal season and his first 30-assist season of his career. To also go along with the best plus-minus of his career with a +13. I first talked about giving Ryan McLeod more minutes before the long break, as he was slowly putting together a good campaign. Once he moved up to the second line, he took off the remainder of the season.
I'm excited to see what McLeod can do going forward for the Sabres, as he will be looking at a long-term contract extension this offseason.
3. Alex Tuch
Alex Tuch was a must mention as he had the second best year of his career, tying his career-high in goals with 36. He recorded his second 30-30 season of his career, and was a key reason the Sabres were able to compete most of the year.
Tuch led the NHL in shorthanded goals with six, and had a top plus-minus on the team with +16. Tuch did enough on the penalty kill to not put the Sabres in bottom five on the PK. As the Sabres finished 23rd on PK. The most impressive stat from Tuch’s season is that he broke the NHL record for blocked shots in a season by a forward with 112.
Breaking an NHL record isn’t something that comes regularly for a lot of players, but Tuch has bettered himself every season and it is exciting to see what he will do next season.
Honorable Mention: Rasmus Dahlin
Rasmus Dahlin had another great season coming off three straight All-Star appearances dating back to the 2021-22 season. Dahlin posted 17 goals, 51 assists, for a total of 68 points with a plus-minus of +11. He put up a fantastic season, and arguably could have been an All-Star again if there was a game.
Dahlin was definitely a top guy this season, but I wanted to put the spotlight on some of the other players who have had career years as Dahlin has done this on a consistent basis, and is the face of the franchise.
With the Sabres season coming to a close, I am excited to see what these players can do moving forward. The Sabres have a great chance to make a playoff run pending their free agency moves, but I am confident they can improve going into next year.