The 2025 NFL season kicks off tonight and the Buffalo Bills will open their final campaign at Highmark Stadium on Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens. In a couple weeks, the Buffalo Sabres will open training camp ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season.
Buffalo's two teams are in vastly different positions right now. The Bills are perennial Super Bowl contenders who've made the playoff six straight times. Meanwhile, the Sabres are riding a 14-year postseason drought, the longest such streak in NHL history.
Yet, it wasn't that long ago the Bills had missed the playoffs in 17 consecutive years while Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Ryan Miller had the Sabres in Stanley Cup contention.
Although the script can flip in the blink of an eye, the refrain from Buffalo sports fans remains the same: "Just one before I die."
So, as the Queen City teams begin their latest attempts to finally bring a major championship to the 716, let's have a little fun by comparing every player on the Sabres' projected 23-man roster to a member of the Bills' 53-man squad.
Rasmus Dahlin — Josh Allen
Theme: Franchise cornerstones
Allen is the reigning NFL MVP and is often forced to carry the Bills on his back. Dahlin is a Norris Trophy candidate who'd likely have a strong case as the NHL's best defenseman if he played for an organization that wasn't an annual also-ran.
Tage Thompson — Keon Coleman
Theme: Big, athletic playmakers
Remember when Thompson, a 2016 first-round pick, was almost labeled a bust before emerging as a two-time 40-goal scorer? Coleman is facing a lot of criticism for his underwhelming rookie season, but it's far too soon to give up on a 6-foot-4 wide receiver with a large catch radius.
Alex Tuch — Khalil Shakir
Theme: Underrated team-first players
Tuch set a new NHL record for forwards last season when he blocked 113 shots, and he still managed to score 36 goals, too. Shakir doesn't get enough national respect for his key role as Allen's favorite target, but his ability to bounce off defenders to generate extra yards is extraordinary.
Owen Power — Spencer Brown
Theme: Slow-developing key pieces
Brown (6'8'') endured a few up-and-down seasons before emerging as one of the league's most dependable right tackles. Power (6'6'') hasn't progressed as quickly as the Sabres probably hoped, but his overall skill set still suggests he's on a path toward stardom.
Zach Benson — Ed Oliver
Theme: Undersized bulldogs
What Benson lacks in size (5'10''), he makes up for with a relentless motor. There will be stretches where he doesn't post big baseline numbers, but he's always finding a way to impact the game. The same is true for Oliver, who can completely take over games on the interior when at his best.
Bowen Byram — Elijah Moore
Theme: Will the production match the pedigree?
Byram (2019 No. 4 overall pick) and Moore (2021 No. 34 overall pick) have both delivered highlights over the years that showcase their elite upside. As a whole, however, their play hasn't matched their high draft status. Is it untapped potential or are they not true difference-makers?
Josh Norris — Cole Bishop
Theme: Injury-prone players who must stay healthy
Norris scored 35 goals in 2021-22 for the Ottawa Senators before proceeding to miss 132 games over the next three games combined. Bishop's career with the Bills has yet to get off the ground because every time he's getting ready for a bigger role he gets hurt. Those trends must change.
Ryan McLeod — Taron Johnson
Theme: Players who play their niche role perfectly
Johnson has firmly established himself as one of the NFL's top slot cornerbacks over the past seven years. McLeod took a major step toward garnering respect as an elite No. 3 center with his strong two-way play during his first year in Buffalo last season.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen — Greg Rousseau
Theme: Buffalo fans want to see more
The Rousseau breakout appeared imminent when he racked up three sacks in a Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals last year. He finished the season with just eight sacks. UPL took a major step back last season after a strong 2023-24. Both need to elevate their games in 2025.
Jason Zucker — Joey Bosa
Theme: Veterans who can still produce
Zucker was a pleasant surprise in his first season after signing with the Sabres in free agency, tallying 53 points in 73 appearances. The Bills will hope for a similar boost from Bosa, a five-time Pro Bowl selection who takes over the role of veteran edge-rusher from Von Miller.
Jiri Kulich — Matt Milano
Theme: Splash plays hint at promising futures
Milano wasn't a superstar right out of the gate for the Bills, posting a modest 50 total tackles as a rookie in 2017, but the upside was obvious. Kulich produced a modest debut campaign for the Sabres with 24 points, but there were enough standout moments to believe big things are coming.
Jordan Greenway — Curtis Samuel
Theme: Could be useful if healthy
Greenway was one of the Sabres' best players early last season with four points in the first six games. Then the injury issues popped back up and he played only 34 contests. Likewise, Samuel hasn't been able to maximize his impact in Buffalo because it seems like he's always dealing with an injury.
Jack Quinn — Taylor Rapp
Theme: Boom-or-bust producers
Few players in Buffalo sports are tougher to predict than Quinn and Rapp. The Sabres winger once looked like a future 30-goal scorer but has been maddeningly inconsistent since his return from an Achilles injury. Rapp can make a game-saving tackle one play and a costly mistake on the next.
Peyton Krebs — Dion Dawkins
Theme: All vibes teammates
Krebs' on-ice production doesn't come anywhere close to what Dawkins has provided the Bills but, at least from a locker-room perspective, they're remarkably similar. They're fun, engaging and, when the situation calls for it, they aren't afraid to stand up for a teammate.
Josh Doan — Joshua Palmer
Theme: New arrivals hoping to break out
Doan joined the Sabres as part of the blockbuster JJ Peterka trade this offseason and, while his underlying two-way metrics around promising, his offense emergence has yet to arrive. Palmer was signed by the Bills in free agency to help that passing game against man coverage.
Michael Kesselring — Tyler Bass
Theme: Overlooked key contributors
Kesselring, the other arrival in the Peterka deal, will take on the incredibly important role of playing alongside Power on the second pair, a spot that's been a revolving door. Bass enjoyed a much-needed bounce-back season in 2024 and must remain consistent in 2025.
Mattias Samuelsson — Dawson Knox
Theme: Best in a smaller role
Knox never developed into a true No. 1 tight end, which led to the Bills drafting Dalton Kincaid, but he's provided value as an oft-used reserve. Samuelsson, who's under fire entering 2025-26, should see his metrics improve on the Sabres' third pair after years of playing up the lineup.
Conor Timmins — Shaq Thompson
Theme: Solid, albeit unspectacular, additions
Timmins is a perfect complement to Samuelsson given his strengths in transition, which should make for an effective defensive-minded third pair. Thompson won't see the field a ton but should be useful as a reserve linebacker who knows the defensive scheme.
Justin Danforth — Cam Lewis
Theme: Swiss Army knives
Danforth will likely start on the wing, but he's also capable of playing center, blocks shots, delivers hits and can even chip in a few points. Lewis remains on the roster because he's able to switch between safety, slot corner and boundary corner whenever injury issues begin to stack up.
Beck Malenstyn — Dorian Williams
Theme: Hit anything that moves
Malenstyn and Williams are high-effort players who aren't afraid to sacrifice their bodies to make a hit. They both get caught out of position at times and have limitations as playmakers, but they're willingness to attack is a welcome sight for both teams.
Jacob Bryson — Joe Andreessen
Theme: Understand their roles
It feels like Bryson has been the Sabres' No. 7 defenseman since Dominik Hasek was between the pipes. That's not true, of course, but there's long-term value in effective role players. Andreessen, known as "Buffalo Joe" because of his local ties, may end up being a similar piece for the Bills.
Zac Jones — Brad Robbins
Theme: Just don't screw anything up
Things aren't going according to plan if Jones (the Sabres' No. 8 defenseman) or Robbins (the Bills' punter) are seeing ample playing time. When they do play, not much is expected beyond making sure they avoid game-changing errors.
Alex Lyon — Mitchell Trubisky
Theme: The backup life
Trubisky and Lyon will likely spend their seasons in the shadows of Allen and Luukkonen, respectively. Yet, they also may be thrust into the spotlight in the Bills quarterback gets hurt or the Sabres goalie struggles again. That uncertainty represents the life of a backup.