Once again, the Sabres are out of the playoffs for the 14th straight year, the NHL’s longest postseason drought. Some players won’t wear Blue and Gold next year, but let’s examine three guys who need to sharpen their skates in downtown Buffalo come October. While they may not be the team’s top players, their skills and abilities more than earned them a place in the franchise.
Jason Zucker
The veteran forward came to Buffalo on July 1, 2024, signing a one-year deal with the Sabres. His 18th season as an NHL player, the left winger made an impact, finishing 2024-25 with a 21-32-53 record, his second highest regular season career point total.
Joining a relatively young roster, the then 32-year-old Zucker put his hockey experience to good use, taking of advantage of scoring opportunities that often come from many years on the ice. Less than a month into his first Sabres’ season on Oct. 28, Zucker batted Tage Thompson’s shot out of midair and put it in the Florida Panthers’ net to cut the Cats’ lead to 1.
A little over five weeks later on Dec. 9, Zucker tucked the puck past Red Wings’ goalie Sebastian Cossa to make it 5-3 Buffalo, his second goal of the night.
Just two days into the new year, No. 17 enjoyed a career hat trick against the Colorado Avalanche, helping snag a point for the Sabres as they lost in OT.
Thankfully, Buffalo signed Zucker to a two-year deal on Mar. 7, 2025 and it’s easy to see why. His scoring prowess and long NHL experience are qualities the franchise could ill-afford to pass up.
JJ Peterka
10 years younger than Zucker, German right winger JJ Peterka is one of the Sabres’ most underrated forwards. Peterka finished this past season with 27 goals, 41 assists and 68 total points, just one goal less than the previous year but 18 points higher than in 2023-24. No. 77 is one of the Blue and Gold’s most productive forwards, playing as part of a roster that often lacks consistency.
One of his best performances was on Nov. 9, 2024, when Peterka beat Calgary Flames’ goaltender Dan Vladar to help give the Sabres 2 points as part of a 3-2 shootout victory.
More recently, Peterka beat Columbus Bluejackets’ netminder Jet Greaves with a wrister on April 10 to make it 1-0 Buffalo.
Peterka is an RFA heading into 2025-26. The Sabres should sign him to a new deal well before the leaves change color, because if they don’t make him a decent offer, some other NHL franchise will.
Bowen Byram
Coming to Buffalo as part of a trade for forward Casey Mittlestadt, defenseman Bo Byram played 18 games for the Sabres in 2023-24. He finished the campaign with 29 blocks, 34 hits, and 7 takeaways. He had a remarkable season this past year, playing all 82 matchups and enjoying 116 blocks, 75 hits and 15 takeaways. His offensive stats also improved, going from 3-6-9 to 7-31-38.
An offensive-minded D-man like Rasmus Dahlin, Byram isn’t content to dump pucks out of the Sabres’ zone or pass it to one of Buffalo’s forwards. He’ll often carry it into an opponent’s ice and look for scoring chances. He did just that in his first game as a Sabre on Mar. 7, 2024, tying the score with the Nashville Predators during the opening period.
This year, No. 4 earned his 100th career point on Feb. 8. 2025 versus the Preds, netting Buffalo’s first goal of the game.
Byram, like Peterka, is an RFA heading into next season. A solid, dependable blueliner, Byram is a player the Sabres would be wise to resign to a longer-term contract.