Sabre Noise grades are back for the Buffalo Sabres in 2026-27.
Last season, we graded all 82 regular-season games — Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson and Zach Benson were the top finishers — as well as the 13 contests during the Eastern Conference club's run to the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which saw Benson top the grade book.
Now we're doing it again. The concept remains the same, with each Sabres player being given a mark on a 1-to-10 scale after every contest. Those numbers are then combined across the 84-game schedule to estimate a player's average impact throughout the campaign.
Most of Buffalo's players from last year's drought-breaking roster return. Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram are the notable exceptions. The Blue and Gold are betting on continued improvement from young players like Benson, Owen Power, Josh Doan, Jack Quinn, Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius, Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier to help offset the lost production.
A longstanding question mark remains in the crease, though. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis created an effective three-goalie rotation last year, but neither UPL nor Lyon could hold down the fort in the playoffs, which led to a summer of Connor Hellebuyck trade rumors for Buffalo.
Without further ado, let's dive into all of the details about this season's Sabres player grades.
Sabres player rankings based on average game grade
Player | Games Played | Average Grade |
|---|---|---|
Zach Benson | 17 | 7.2 |
Jack Quinn | 17 | 7.0 |
Owen Power | 17 | 6.9 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 17 | 6.7 |
Tage Thompson | 17 | 6.6 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 14 | 6.5 |
Noah Ostlund | 17 | 6.3 |
Olen Zellweger | 16 | 6.2 |
Conor Timmins | 2 | 5.8 |
Jiri Kulich | 10 | 5.7 |
Josh Doan | 17 | 5.5 |
Colten Ellis | 7 | 5.4 |
Konsta Helenius | 11 | 5.3 |
Peyton Krebs | 17 | 5.2 |
Beck Malenstyn | 17 | 5.2 |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 11 | 5.1 |
Josh Norris | 17 | 5.0 |
Ryan McLeod | 15 | 4.7 |
Justin Danforth | 6 | 4.4 |
Zach Metsa | 15 | 4.3 |
Sam Carrick | 9 | 4.3 |
Jason Zucker | 8 | 4.3 |
Dennis Gilbert | 5 | 4.2 |
Louis Crevier | 15 | 4.1 |
Tyson Kozak | 9 | 4.1 |
Matt Grzelcyk | 11 | 3.5 |
Links to all Buffalo game reviews and player ratings
Game 17: Golden Knights 4, Sabres 1 (Nov. 8, 2026)
Beck Malenstyn urges Buffalo Sabres to quickly tackle an emerging issue
Game 16: Sabres 5, Blue Jackets 2 (Nov. 6, 2026)
One critical problem is fueling the Buffalo Sabres' volatile play
Game 15: Senators 2, Sabres 1 (Nov. 4, 2026)
Rasmus Dahlin called out by Lindy Ruff after Sabres' loss to Senators
Game 14: Sabres 3, Kings 2 (Oct. 31, 2026)
UPL acknowledges the Buffalo Sabres' biggest hurdle in 2026-27
Game 13: Sabres 7, Ducks 6 (Oct. 29, 2026)
Sabres' Tage Thompson explains undeniable chemistry with Peyton Krebs
Game 12: Sabres 2, Sharks 0 (Oct. 27, 2026)
Lindy Ruff pinpoints crucial breakthrough by Sabres in win vs. Sharks
Game 11: Capitals 4, Sabres 3 (Oct. 24, 2026)
Rasmus Dahlin strikes optimistic tone despite Buffalo Sabres' slow start
Game 10: Flyers 3, Sabres 1 (Oct. 21, 2026)
Polarizing UPL discourse is causing a major meltdown in Buffalo
Game 9: Canadiens 4, Sabres 3 (Oct. 17, 2026)
Buffalo Sabres' season rests on improving one disastrous number
Game 8: Sabres 5, Maple Leafs 4 (Oct. 15, 2026)
Buffalo native sparks Sabres' thrilling comeback win over Maple Leafs
Game 7: Canadiens 4, Sabres 3 (Oct. 13, 2026)
Lindy Ruff reveals concerning injury updates after Sabres' loss to Habs
Game 6: Sabres 5, Panthers 3 (Oct. 12, 2026)
Buffalo Sabres rising star showing signs of monster breakout season
Game 5: Mammoth 4, Sabres 1 (Oct. 10, 2026)
Josh Norris reveals a hidden truth about Buffalo Sabres' early struggles
Game 4: Stars 4, Sabres 0 (Oct. 8, 2026)
Lindy Ruff addresses the elephant in the room after Sabres' loss to Stars
Game 3: Sabres 3, Wild 2 (Oct. 6, 2026)
Buffalo Sabres unlocked a cheat code in comeback win vs. Wild
Game 2: Sabres 4, Blackhawks 3 (Oct. 3, 2026)
Sabres' Jiri Kulich makes early entry in NHL's Masterton Trophy race
Game 1: Blue Jackets 6, Sabres 3 (Oct. 1, 2026)
The biggest concern from Sabres' season-opening loss to Blue Jackets
How the Sabre Noise grading system works
Let's be clear: These are eye-test grades. They aren't going to match up perfectly to the analytics-based player cards across social media, and it's going to take some time for the grade book to level out. Small sample sizes tend to create a lot of noise in the short term.
If you're looking for a purely numbers-oriented review of Sabres players, there are a lot of terrific sources out there, including HockeyStats.com. We aren't trying to replace their evaluation. We're merely providing a different take on how each contributor is performing for Buffalo in 2026-27.
Sequencing, and therefore game leverage, matters. If Tage scores a hat trick with the final goal coming in the last second of regulation in a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers, that's going to garner more praise than lighting the lamp three times in a blowout of an NHL cellar dweller.
As always, the ultimate goal is creating an accurate portrait of a player's overall impact by the time the regular season wraps up in mid-April. Everyone goes through hot streaks and cold spells during an 84-game schedule, so more data points helps create the most accurate picture.
Finally, if the Sabres do qualify for the 2027 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the grades will continue, though they'll once again be separated from the final regular-season marks.
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