The Buffalo Sabres had another tough season in 2024-25. They finished well out of a playoff spot despite showing some positive signs down the final month of the season.
Heading into the offseason, the hope was that the Sabres could retool their roster to bring in reinforcements to help end the club's nearly decade-and-a-half playoff drought.
But somehow, the Sabres have managed to trend in the opposite direction. That U-turn began with the JJ Peterka trade.
Peterka had been rumored to be on the block for months. Specifically, the seeming unwillingness of Peterka, an RFA, to re-sign in Buffalo prompted the team to explore moving the promising winger.
Eventually, the Sabres found a willing trade partner in the Utah Mammoth. The Mammoth sent Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring to Buffalo in exchange.
Let’s be clear about something. The return for Peterka wasn’t bad. It’s just that neither Doan nor Kesslering is the sort of player that will light the world on fire.
That’s what the Sabres had in Peterka, and that’s what they didn’t get back
Beyond that, the moves the club has made have been largely depth additions. During the 2025 NHL Draft, the Sabres sent Connor Clifton to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Conor Timmins and Isaac Beliveau. Both are solid NHLers, but again, not world-beaters.
Then, the Sabres signed a backup goalie in Alex Lyon and added another depth player in Justin Danforth.
Yes, there are all solid moves. But they won’t move the needle enough to compete with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division. The Sabres will also have to go up against the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings for wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.
That’s a bleak picture unless something changes, and fast.
Buffalo Sabres out of options in free agent market
The Sabres could have addressed key needs on the free agent market. Players like Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers could have been difference-makers for the Sabres.
Instead, Boeser re-upped in Vancouver, while Ehlers took his act to Carolina. Beyond that, there isn’t much to choose from at this point.
The Sabres address crucial needs via the trade market. But how many top-six forwards are available at this point?
The Sabres have been linked to forwards like St. Louis Blues winger Jordan Kyrou. But what would it take for the Sabres to get a deal done for Kyrou? Similarly, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell have been rumored to be available in Pittsburgh. But like Kyrou, what would it take to get a deal done?
Regardless of the cost to acquire a legit top-six forward, the Sabres are running out of time to get something done. The team can’t afford to sit by and wait for something to happen. GM Kevyn Adams will need to turn over stones, if he has to, to find the pieces the club needs to contend.
Otherwise, it could be another long season for Buffalo Sabres fans in 2025-26.