Owen Power
Staying on the blue line, Owen Power is also facing a pivotal season with the team after a somewhat mixed results season with the Sabres. The positives were that he had career highs in offensive stats like goals (7), assists (33), and points (40).
However, he also had a career-worst +/- of -13 after being on the ice for a career-high 99 goals and a career-low goals for at only 84. The Sabres brought in Michael Kesselring, and on paper looks like the perfect fit next to Power.
The Sabres have done everything they seemingly can to get Power to take that next step and it is now up to the player to get that done.
Zach Benson
Of the players on this list, Benson probably has a little more runway, and this season may not be crucial, but the Sabres are going to have him in a prominent role that they need him to deliver. Benson has played in over 70 games the past two seasons and will only be 20 years old this season.
In those two seasons, Benson has had 21 goals and 58 assists, and the Sabres are going to need more from a player who should be on the top line with Tage Thompson. He is a player who has the potential to be a playmaker for the forwards, and this season, they really need the skill set to match the production.