The Buffalo Sabres are going to receive elite-level production from defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and forward Tage Thompson. Beyond that, however, there are a lot more questions than answers about what to expect from the team's other 21 players during the 2025-26 NHL season.
Yes, the Sabres need vastly improved performance from goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and it'd provide a massive boost if winger Zach Benson can find his scoring touch. Blueliner Owen Power is also facing serious pressure to look more like a No. 1 overall pick.
None of those players represent the biggest narrative-changing opportunities on Buffalo's roster, though. These three stars can alter the trajectory of their careers if they emerge as consistent producers for an organization that needs far more of those amid a NHL-record playoff drought.
Josh Norris
Task: Play 70-plus games
Norris is productive when he's on the ice. The 26-year-old American center has recorded 158 points (91 goals and 67 assists) in 239 career games, most of which came across six years with the Ottawa Senators before his arrival to Buffalo in the Dylan Cozens trade last season.
Staying healthy has been a significant issue for the 2017 first-round pick, though.
Norris has never played more than 66 contests in a season, and he's missed 132 combined games over the past three years before of injuries. That includes making just eight appearances in 2022-23 because of serious shoulder issues.
The University of Michigan product played just three games for the Sabres after the trade last season before getting shut down with a recurrence of an oblique injury originally suffered with the Sens.
Buffalo simply doesn't have enough scoring depth to survive if Norris misses another 20-plus games this season. The departure of JJ Peterka combined with the lack of offseason moves has left a major void in the team's top-six forward group.
Norris is a dangerous offensive threat, as evidenced by his 35-goal season with Ottawa in 2021-22, so if he stays healthy, the results will come.
Jack Quinn
Task: Score 25-plus goals
Quinn looked like a star on the rise as he scored 39 points (15 goals and 24 assists) across his first 77 games with the Sabres. His combination of a lethal shot and playmaking ability that had progressed nicely throughout his development was an intriguing combination.
Unfortunately for Buffalo, he suffered an Achilles injury during a 2023 offseason workout and he's never looked like the same player since that setback.
The 2020 eighth overall pick's skating has looked a stride or two slow and it's prevented him from consistently creating scoring chances in the most dangerous areas of the ice. It's also impacted his ability to generate opportunities off the rush.
It's clear the Sabres aren't ready to give up on him yet, though. They signed the 6-foot-1 winger to a two-year, $6.75 million contract extension in June.
They'll hope a healthy offseason will allow Quinn to finally get back to where he was physically before the Achilles injury, and perhaps that'll put him back on a track to reach the 30-goal potential he'd showcased early in his career.
Bowen Byram
Task: Perform away from Rasmus Dahlin
Byram faced a lot of trade speculation early in the offseason before signing a two-year, $12.5 million extension with the Sabres. The new deal still doesn't guarantee his long-term future is in Buffalo but it quieted the rumors, at least for awhile.
The former Colorado Avalanche standout posted a career-high 38 points (seven goals and 31 assists) last season, and 35 of those points came at even strength. He doesn't receive much power-play time due to the presence of Dahlin and Power as the quarterbacks.
Yet, there are legitimate questions about how much of Byram's success last season was related to playing with Dahlin, one of the NHL's best defensemen, on the top pair. Looks at these 5-on-5 splits, via Natural Stat Trick:
With Dahlin: 35-15 in goals, 54.6 xGF% (626 minutes)
Without Dahlin: 45-51 in goals, 43.0 xGF% (880 minutes)
He's likely to open the new campaign alongside the Sabres captain again. The pairs tend to get juggled throughout the year, though. Perhaps head coach Lindy Ruff will want to try a Power-Dahlin tandem at some point in 2025-26.
If Byram can be a net-positive player when he's not on the ice with Dahlin, that would vastly improve the team's defensive flexibility and showcase important growth from the 24-year-old defender.