The Buffalo Sabres erased 14 years of misery with a memorable six-month surge that ended one win short of the Eastern Conference Final last season. It predictably led expectations to skyrocket ahead of the new campaign, but the club has so far struggled to replicate that success.
Buffalo holds a 5-4-3 record through 12 games, which is tied for 12th in the immensely competitive East. While it's still early, HockeyStats.com gives the youthful team a 49% chance to make the playoffs. Fans were hoping for more than a coin flip after last year's breakthrough.
On Thursday, Shayna Goldman of The Athletic selected the Sabres as one of the losers of the months-long Connor Hellebuyck saga, which finally ended with his trade to the New Jersey Devils, and argued the Blue and Gold may be starting to lag behind in the NHL's contention fight:
"The Sabres are a step behind in the contender's cycle at this point. After making some offseason moves with the long-term future in mind, it gives them a little more leeway because adding Hellebuyck (and Hellebuyck alone) may not have been enough to put them over the top. Not when Buffalo is struggling so much to score, both at even strength and on the power play. It's a reminder that development isn't a straight line for an up-and-coming team, and maybe even a reality check on its trajectory after last year's excitement."The Athletic's Shayna Goldman
There were legitimate questions about how Buffalo's front office, led by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, handled the offseason after a breakout year.
Kekalainen traded away two key contributors — Alex Tuch to the Washington Capitals and Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks — after it became clear neither player was going to sign a long-term contract extension in Western New York.
The Sabres actually did well to replace Byram. Olen Zellweger, who they acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks, has slid in perfectly alongside Owen Power on the second pair and Daxon Rudolph, selected with the No. 4 overall pick received from Chicago, is off to a strong start to his college career at the University of Denver. He's aiming to make the NHL jump next season.
Things haven't been so smooth when it comes to filling the Tuch void. The 6-foot-4 power forward was Buffalo's most well-rounded forward, making a significant impact at even strength while also holding key roles on both the power play and the penalty kill.
Kekalainen opted to rely solely on the internal improvement of young players up front. Although some have stepped up, like Jack Quinn and Noah Ostlund, the Sabres have dropped from fifth to 24th in goals scored per game and fourth to 25th on the penalty kill.
Add in some goaltending struggles and Buffalo simply hasn't been able to maintain any level of consistency through the first dozen contests. If not for a series of third-period comebacks, the club would be in an even deeper hole in the early going.
Yes, there's still plenty of time for the Sabres to turn things around — they didn't start clicking on all cylinders last season until mid-December — but expectations are certainly shifting already.
Pressure building on Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen amid NHL trade rumors
You can't say Kekalainen hasn't tried to make a splash since inheriting the Buffalo front office from Kevyn Adams last December.
He tried to acquire Colton Parayko and Robert Thomas from the St. Louis Blues ahead of last season's trade deadline. (Parayko invoked his no-trade clause and the Thomas pursuit fell short.) Then came the Hellebuyck rumors, which were most intense ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Now there's emerging speculation the Sabres are angling for Detroit Red Wings superstar Dylan Larkin, though the center hasn't added Buffalo to his list of acceptable destinations.
In the end, however, there's a monumental difference between trying to pull off blockbuster deals, whether it's trades or free-agent signings, and actually getting those deals across the finish line. Just ask Bills general manager Brandon Beane.
Kekalainen deserves credit for the Byram and Zellweger trades, and moving Tuch after the sides knew the gap in contract talks was too large to overcome was understandable. He's also done a nice job of locking up young players to long-term extensions early.
That said, if the Sabres want to emerge as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, it's going to take a couple high-profile additions. A true No. 1 center is an absolute must (Larkin?) and a goalie is probably needed too, though not wanting to overpay at a position with so much volatility is a fair stance.
These conversations would be much quieter if Buffalo was sitting somewhere near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The overall point would be the same, but there would be more patience within the fanbase if the club was playing good hockey.
Since that hasn't been the case so far, the spotlight is getting brighter on Kekalainen right away. Nobody wants to see the Sabres fall right back below the postseason cut line one year after finally ending the longest playoff drought in NHL history.
At least for now, that outcome is clearly on the table and making an outside acquisition may be necessary to provide a spark to the roster.
The status quo isn't good enough for Buffalo to reach its ultimate goal.
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