New NHL chart reveals the undeniable rise of the Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres finally turned a corner last season. After a seemingly endless rebuilding process, which went through several different iterations, the franchise finally found the right mix of players to make a long-awaited return to the NHL Playoffs.

Now what?

Well, Nick Iacoban of Watch The Stats believes the Sabres find themselves as one of just four NHL teams in the league's most promising position: Prepared to win both now and in the future, as showcased in his "Contention Cycle" chart posted Wednesday:

"Starting with the organizations in the best spot, it's the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Utah Mammoth, and Washington Capitals as the only squads in the Win Now & Later quadrant," Iacoban wrote. "The [San Jose] Sharks and [Anaheim] Ducks are closing in, looking to make jumps next season to fully cement their spots."

The graph showcases the massive leap Buffalo made in 2025-26, going from deep in the "Win Later" section to the Goldilocks zone where it currently resides ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Although there's been some criticism of the Sabres' offseason, and perhaps understandably so given the departures of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram without any elite-level acquisitions, Iacoban's assessment may shed some light on the team's bet on internal improvement.

Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen had an opportunity to make a couple major splashes this summer. He could have sent a substantial haul to the Winnipeg Jets for goalie Connor Hellebuyck and signed Buffalo native Patrick Kane in free agency.

A Hellebuyck trade would likely cost the Sabres a couple roster players, a top-tier prospect and a future first-round pick. Signing Kane would have eliminated the club's remaining salary-cap space (and then some, requiring another roster move to make it work).

Kekalainen has opted for a more measured approach, at least so far. He's showing confidence the Blue and Gold will be able to replace Tuch and Byram without breaking the bank.

He'll be harshly criticized if it doesn't work out — the absolute last thing Buffalo fans want to see is an instant return to also-ran status next season — but there's plenty of reason to believe the organization is on a promising path toward sustained success.

Buffalo Sabres possess most of the elements to become a Stanley Cup contender

Winning a Stanley Cup isn't usually a direct path. Look at the 2026 champion Carolina Hurricanes, who endured an eight-year postseason drought (2010-18) and nearly as many years of playoff heartbreak (2019-25) before finally capturing a championship.

It takes time, and often requires a few breaks along the way before Lord Stanley arrives.

That knowledge is probably Kekalainen resisted any urge to push for a series of all-in moves this summer. The Sabres' contention window is just opening, the last thing they should do is risk severely shortening its length, especially given the immense strength of the Eastern Conference.

Buffalo's focus should be making sure it can punch its playoff ticket every year. Get in the field and maybe get lucky enough to catch lightning in a bottle.

If that doesn't happen within the next few seasons, then perhaps the level of urgency will increase, particularly if the East, and the Atlantic Division, begin to open up as older teams like the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning head toward rebuilding territory.

For now, there's nothing wrong with the Sabres betting on growth from the likes of Owen Power, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, Konsta Helenius and Olen Zellweger. All of those players are 24 years old or younger.

Yes, if there's ultimately short-term problems with that group replacing the production lost with the exits of Tuch and Byram, Kekalainen may have to get aggressive with an in-season move. But it's not a situation where a monumental drop off should be expected.

Along with those young contributors, Buffalo still has plenty of veteran talent, headlined by Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson. Mattias Samuelsson, Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker, Peyton Krebs, Beck Malenstyn and Conor Timmins are among the other returnees.

If there's one lingering question for the Sabres, it's goaltending.

The Blue and Gold received terrific play between the pipes from its three-goalie rotation of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis during the regular season last year, but the plan pretty much fell apart during the playoffs.

That's why Buffalo has been heavily linked to Hellebuyck throughout the summer. He'd give the team an unquestioned starter, though his recent postseason track record is less than stellar in its own right.

All told, the Sabres occupy an enviable position with training camp about a month away. Now it comes down to making the right tweaks with hope of a championship eventually coming to Western New York at long last.

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