The Buffalo Sabres skated in the NHL Playoffs for the first time in 15 years back in the spring. Now they're expected to take the next step toward true Stanley Cup contention. It's easier said than done.
Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen held a press conference Wednesday before the start of training camp ahead of the 2026-27 season. The longtime executive was asked about the biggest challenge his club will face while trying to back up its breakthrough campaign.
"Complacency is the biggest pitfall right now for our team," Kekalainen told reporters. "Thinking we were pretty good last year. Pretty good's not good enough.
"Last season was last season and now we move forward. If we for one second think that we can exhale now, there's no more bad streak that we didn't make the playoffs hanging over our heads, that's not good. We need to focus on doing the right things right from Day 1."
The Sabres got off to a sluggish start in 2025-26. They sat in the basement of the Eastern Conference in early December with an 11-14-4 record before embarking on one of the best runs in NHL history, skyrocketing up the standings to win the Atlantic Division.
Kekalainen made it clear Buffalo can't anticipate a similar out-of-this-world stretch this season, and explained the focus must now shift toward building consistent winning habits that can endure an 84-game campaign (and a potential two-month postseason journey).
"I think there's a lot of good things from last year that should be part of our plan right now, and part of our daily standard and routine every day," he said. "And there should also be a quick reminder of some of the bad habits that led to no success. So, I think that's what the coaching staff is doing now and they're gonna get everybody ready to understand what the winning recipe is. But again, it has to start right now."
The Sabres are set to begin training camp practices Thursday. Their first preseason game is scheduled for Monday when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of a four-game exhibition slate.
Buffalo opens the regular season Oct. 1 with a road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Jarmo Kekalainen sidesteps questions about the Connor Hellebuyck trade rumors
The biggest Sabres uncertainty as training camp arrives surrounds whether the team is still making an effort to land All-Star goalie Connor Hellebuyck in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets.
There are limits about what Kekalainen can say about players under contract with another NHL organization, so he predictably gave nondescript answers to those questions, but he certainly didn't eliminate Buffalo from the conversation.
"I have never told anybody in the media about any of the talks with other general managers," the veteran GM said. "So, I don't understand it comes from. That's the world we live in. There's gonna be rumors."
He added: "I've been told about the rumors. I've seen some of the rumors. I'll just say my same boring answer: Any time we have an opportunity to try to make our team better we're gonna look at it, make phone calls and consider, have internal meetings about it and see if it goes anywhere."
Hellebuyck recently went public with his trade request as camp neared without a resolution to his situation.
The 33-year-old American is one of the most decorated goaltenders of his generation. He's earned four All-Star Game selections, won the Vezina Trophy three times, raised the Hart Trophy once and captured an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Games.
Although he's coming off the worst statistical season of his career (.895 save percentage in 57 games), his track record suggests he'd be a clear upgrade over Buffalo's current trio of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis.
At this point, it feels like Kekalainen has a price point in mind — some of the rumored demands from Winnipeg earlier in the offseason were borderline outrageous — and if the Jets' asking price doesn't come down to a more reasonable level, the Sabres will move forward with their current rotation.
If nothing else, it creates some late-offseason intrigue with puck drop just over two weeks away.
Add us as a preferred source on Google