The Buffalo Sabres, led by franchise pillars Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, will aim to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference throughout the 2025-26 season with the ultimate goal of ending the organization's NHL-record 14-year playoff drought.
Thompson and Dahlin are joined by a unique blend of established talents (Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker), rising stars (Zach Benson and Josh Doan) and players who are under pressure to take their games to the next level (Owen Power and Josh Norris).
The question is whether those key cornerstones can help the team overcome several key question marks, led by goaltending uncertainty and special-teams concerns, in order to finally turn a corner in the Blue and Gold's longtime rebuilding project.
After each Sabres game, we'll handle out grades (on a 1-10 scale) to every player who took the ice and use those to provide updated full-season ratings throughout Buffalo's 2025-26 campaign.
Sabre Noise hub for Buffalo Sabres player grades for the 2025-26 NHL season
Sabres player rankings based on average game grade
Player | Games Played | Average Grade |
|---|---|---|
Colten Ellis | 1 | 8.5 |
Josh Doan | 11 | 7.3 |
Alex Lyon | 9 | 7.2 |
Zach Benson | 8 | 6.4 |
Alex Tuch | 11 | 6.4 |
Tage Thompson | 11 | 6.0 |
Jordan Greenway | 1 | 6.0 |
Michael Kesselring | 2 | 5.8 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 11 | 5.6 |
Josh Norris | 1 | 5.5 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 9 | 5.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 11 | 5.5 |
Tyson Kozak | 7 | 5.4 |
Bowen Byram | 11 | 5.4 |
Conor Timmins | 11 | 5.3 |
Owen Power | 10 | 5.3 |
Josh Dunne | 5 | 5.1 |
Jiri Kulich | 11 | 5.0 |
Jack Quinn | 11 | 4.9 |
Peyton Krebs | 11 | 4.3 |
Ryan Johnson | 3 | 4.3 |
Noah Ostlund | 4 | 4.3 |
Zach Metsa | 4 | 4.3 |
Jason Zucker | 11 | 4.2 |
Jacob Bryson | 5 | 4.0 |
Beck Malenstyn | 10 | 3.7 |
Justin Danforth | 4 | 2.8 |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 1 | 1.5 |
Mason Geertsen | 4 | 1.4 |
Links to all Buffalo game reviews and player ratings
Game 11: Bruins 4, Sabres 3 (Oct. 30, 2025)
Buffalo Sabres leader praises team's new mentality: 'There's no fear'
Game 10: Blue Jackets 4, Sabres 3 (Oct. 28, 2025)
Lindy Ruff slams Buffalo Sabres' latest slow start: 'Unacceptable'
Game 9: Maple Leafs 4, Sabres 3 (Oct. 25, 2025)
Does Buffalo Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen have any NHL trade value?
Game 8: Sabres 5, Maple Leafs 3 (Oct. 24, 2025)
Alex Tuch comes alive for the Buffalo Sabres after recent criticism
Game 7: Sabres 4, Red Wings 2 (Oct. 22, 2025)
Sabres' Colten Ellis took awesome rookie lap then proved he belongs in the NHL
Game 6: Canadiens 4, Sabres 2 (Oct. 20, 2025)
Former 7th round pick emerging as a draft steal for the Buffalo Sabres
Game 5: Sabres 3, Panthers 0 (Oct. 18, 2025)
Sorry, UPL: Alex Lyon is the Buffalo Sabres' starting goalie now
Game 4: Sabres 8, Senators 4 (Oct. 15, 2025)
The Next Big Thing? Josh Doan is already turning heads for the Buffalo Sabres
Game 3: Avalanche 3, Sabres 1 (Oct. 13, 2025)
Invisible players are sinking the Buffalo Sabres after Colorado Avalanche loss
Game 2: Bruins, 3, Sabres 1 (Oct. 11, 2025)
Alex Lyon has been the Buffalo Sabres' best player (and that's embarrassing)
Game 1: Rangers 4, Sabres 0 (Oct. 9, 2025)
Rasmus Dahlin earns high marks in Sabres player grades after Rangers loss
How the grading system works
Our grades will be entirely subjective based on each Sabre Noise writer's view of the game. This isn't an analytics-based system that reviews the numbers and spits out a final score. These player ratings will instead lean more heavily on the eye test.
Of course, that doesn't mean the statistics will be ignored. Both baseline stats (goals, assists and so on) and underlying metrics like expected goals for percentage (xGF%) will always be considered, but those elements are often noisy when being viewed through a single-game lens.
Sequencing matters, too. A player who scores a third-period hat trick in a 4-3 comeback win deserves more credit than one who scores a third-period hat trick in an 8-3 blowout loss when the result was decided far before his first puck hit the back on the net.
Hopefully by the end of the 82-game schedule the grades will help paint a picture about which players most consistently helped the Sabres win games. They'll also be used next offseason as we explore areas of the roster Buffalo's front office must improve before the 2026-27 campaign.
And yes, if the Sabres finally bring playoff hockey back to Western New York, we'll carry the player grades into the postseason, as well.