The Buffalo Sabres are desperate to end the franchise's record-setting 14-year playoff drought. Doing so will likely require a red-hot start to the new season because they play 10 of their first 14 games on home ice, which is probably their most favorable schedule stretch of the campaign.
Unfortunately for Buffalo, that crucial set of games comes as the team tries to overcome an endless stream of injuries that occurred throughout training camp and the preseason. Starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Jordan Greenway headline the group of players who will miss the start of the 2025-26 season while recovering.
In turn, the Sabres need other players to deliver elite performance over that first handful of weeks to keep the team in the mix until it returns to full strength.
Buffalo Sabres players who must shine early in the new NHL season
Defenseman Owen Power
The perception of Power is clouded by the fact he was selected No. 1 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. Through that lens, he hasn't lived up to expectations as a potentially franchise-altering, Norris Trophy-contending anchor of the blue line.
Yet, he's still just 22 years old and posted a career-high 40 points (seven goals and 33 assists) across 79 appearances last season. His offensive game has grown at a steady pace, which is promising since he doesn't receive a ton of power-play time since Rasmus Dahlin quarterbacks the top unit.
Now it's time for him to start making those same type of strides defensively. He's played far smaller than his size (6'6'', 226 pounds) so far in the NHL. He'll never be a player who throws 200 hits a season, but he must start leveraging that large frame a lot better in his own zone.
Power needs to show he's capable of playing with a physical edge, which would go a long way in creating a more well-rounded skill set.
Forward Tage Thompson
Buffalo traded JJ Peterka, who ranked third on the team with 27 goals last season, to the Utah Mammoth during the offseason. While the return tandem of Kesselring and Josh Doan will play key roles, the Sabres didn't acquire a direct replacement to supply the lost offense.
So Thompson, who's already carried a substantial goal-scoring burden for the organization, will be leaned on even more heavily early in the campaign while the rest of the forwards settle into their new roles. The same goes for trying to lead a revitalization of a power play that's struggled in recent years.
It'll also be a pressure-packed few months for Tage on a personal level. He's made it no secret he wants to represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, especially after being the biggest snub left off the 4 Nations Face-Off squad in February.
The fight for a place on the U.S. roster will be intense, so the 27-year-old Arizona native needs to lit the lamp consistently to prove he deserves a seat on the plane to Italy.
Forward Jack Quinn
Quinn is running out of chances to prove he'll reach the heights the Sabres believed were possible before his 2023 Achilles injury. He's hasn't looked the same physically over the past two seasons, often finding himself a stride or two behind the play.
The 24-year-old winger did show some promising signs in the final stages of 2024-25, though. He compiled 15 points (five goals and 10 assists) over his final 16 games, and Buffalo benefited from that surge as it posted a 10-5-1 record over that stretch.
That uptick in production combined with getting to go through a completely healthy offseason should put Quinn in position to come out of the gates strong. He's one of the team's best options to help supply the lost scoring from the trade of Peterka, his former linemate.
On the flip side, if Quinn struggles to find the net consistently this season, it'll raise serious questions about his long-term upside for Buffalo.