The Buffalo Sabres, led by general manager Kevyn Adams, put together another quiet offseason as they'll once again rely heavily on internal improvement if they're finally going to end their unacceptable 14-year NHL playoff drought.
Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report took aim at the Sabres on Thursday by giving them an 'F' offseason grade and saying, "The fans here deserve better." It's hard to argue with that statement as Buffalo remains one of the best hockey markets in the United States despite the team's endless struggles.
"It's just hard to feel any sort of optimism or excitement here," Gretz wrote. "It's been a sub-par roster that has produced consistently poor results, and the only major addition this offseason was to add defenseman Michael Kesserling in the JJ Peterka trade. Is that an upgrade? Not much one of if it is."
The B/R NHL analyst also pointed out the Sabres are set to enter the campaign with over $5 million in unused salary-cap space: "You couldn't find someone for $5 million that could help the roster?"
It's a fair question that makes fans wonder whether Buffalo's front office and ownership, namely Terry Pegula, are truly all-in trying to build a competitive roster.
Do the Buffalo Sabres deserve an 'F' grade for the 2025 NHL offseason?
The Sabres' biggest move of the summer was sending high-scoring winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan.
It's was Adams' attempt to set the tone for the offseason. He wanted to focus on bringing in better all-around players rather than one-dimensional scorers. Other additions included Justin Danforth, Conor Timmins and a pair of goalies, Alex Lyon and Alexandar Georgiev.
While the Peterka trade may work out better than national pundits expect — Doan has looked great in the preseason, while Kesselring will finally given Owen Power a consistent partner — it's certainly an underwhelming group for an organization that missed the playoffs by 12 points last season.
It continued a long-term trend in Buffalo: Treating the offseason like the team is only one or two modest moves away from contention, which simply isn't the reality of the situation.
Although some analytics projections are bullish on the Sabres, even the most glowing endorsement puts them as a fringe playoff hopeful. There's a massive difference between perhaps sneaking into the postseason on the finally day and actually emerging as a Stanley Cup contender.
Yes, Buffalo sports fans are mostly focused on ending the drought, but that would happen naturally if the team's brass made a concerted effort to build a more complete roster.
Adams, Pegula and Co. are instead hoping they can sneak into the playoffs one year to reset the drought timer and relieve the pressure.
"Hope is a shitty strategy," veteran forward Jason Zucker told reporters at the end of last season.
All told, the Sabres' offseason probably wouldn't deserve a failing grade in a vacuum because Doan and Kesselring are potential impact players, while adding goalie depth was a wise decision after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen struggled last season (and is now battling an injury).
Yet, even if Adams' summer work was probably more in the low-C or high-D range, the surrounding circumstances make the F from Bleacher Report an understandable assessment.