The Buffalo Sabres open their 2026-27 schedule Thursday night with a road trip to face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Expectations are much higher ahead of the new campaign after the organization finally turned a corner toward championship contention last year.
That doesn't mean the Sabres are a playoff lock, though. The Eastern Conference is stacked, thanks in large part to an Atlantic Division with no less than four legitimate Stanley Cup hopefuls. Buffalo, which captured the division title last season with 109 points (50-23-9 record), is joined by the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens in that category.
So, if head coach Lindy Ruff's group is going to prove last season wasn't a fluke, it's going to take a complete team effort over the next 84 games. That's especially true as the club attempts to replace the lost production from offseason departures Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram.
Let's take a look at a quarter of players who could swing the season for the Blue and Gold.
Center: Josh Norris
Yes, it's the same old story for Josh Norris. The 27-year-old Michigan native was productive when healthy in 2025-26 with 34 points (13 goals and 21 assists) but he was limited to 44 appearances because of injuries. He's never played more than 66 games in a season.
Norris' best year came with the Ottawa Senators in 2021-22 when he posted a career-high 35 goals, and he's flashed that type of game-changing scoring ability for brief stretches in Buffalo, but staying on the ice for an extended period has proved difficult.
Ruff has shifted the 6-foot-2 forward to the wing at times throughout training camp, perhaps an effort to take some of the two-way responsibility off his shoulders. His peak value still comes in the middle, however, particularly if he can take over as the top-line center so Tage Thompson can play wing.
If Norris can play 70-plus games and score 30-plus goals, it'll provide a massive boost to the Sabres' offense.
Winger: Jack Quinn
Is this the year Jack Quinn finally puts it all together? His strong performance throughout camp — the winger's compete level was off the charts — raised hopes the answer will be yes.
The 2020 first-round pick posted a career-best 51 points (20 goals and 31 assists) while playing all 82 contests last season. His backchecking and defensive-zone intensity still didn't always match his efforts at the opponent's end of the rink, though.
Quinn has every reason to stay motivated in 2026-27. He's scheduled to become a restricted free agent next offseason and a monster year could put him in line for a significant raise from his current $3.4 million salary, especially given the NHL's current contract market.
For Buffalo, getting him more involved on the top power play to create a secondary shooting threat other than Thompson could provide a nice boost to that maligned special teams unit.
Defenseman: Mattias Samuelsson
Mattias Samuelsson took an unexpected leap forward last season with 41 points — his previous career high was 14 — while remaining a key defensive cog for the Sabres. There was a point in the middle of the campaign when he was receiving some Norris Trophy buzz.
Yet, just one year ago he was an injury-prone defender with a limited offensive impact who drew the ire of Buffalo fans for his failure to stick up for teammates late in 2024-25. His preseason injury brought back some of those memories.
It sounds like Samuelsson will try to play in the opener but, regardless of his Game 1 status, will he be able to play 75-plus games again? Can he maintain (or improve) his two-way involvement, which made him a perfect partner for Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin?
Those are logical questions and, if the left-shot defender returns closer to his prior norms, the Buffalo blue line will struggle to replicate its high-end 2025-26 success.
Goalie: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
You could make a case for Colten Ellis here. The 25-year-old goaltender looked good throughout the preseason and may take on a larger workload in the early going as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon recover from preseason injuries.
Still, UPL remains the obvious choice. He's been a valuable contributor in two of the past three seasons (.910 save percentage in 2023-24 and a .909 mark last season) but the year in between was an unmitigated disaster (.887 SV%).
In addition, Luukkonen been frequently mentioned as a possible trade chip in the Sabres' pursuit of three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets. It's hard to imagine having a bigger impact than being traded for one of the generation's best goalies, but he owns a five-team no-trade clause, meaning he could also block a potential move.
UPL finally emerging as a true No. 1 netminder capable of being trusted in high-pressure situations like the playoffs is the dream outcome for Buffalo.
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