The Buffalo Sabres are now 15 games into the 2025-26 season, and one thing has been clear: this roster is not a playoff-caliber team. They already find themselves in last place in the Eastern Conference with only 14 points and have won only one game in their last seven games.
Now, some will point to how injury-riddled this team has been and make the point that there is no team out there that could win consistently with four of their Top 9 forwards out and their best defenseman missing. Maybe once they return, the Sabres can go on a run and build themselves out of the hole they have dug.
Buffalo Sabres out against the Carolina Hurricanes
- Rasmus Dahlin
- Jiri Kulich
- Josh Norris
- Zach Benson
- Jason Zucker
- Justin Danforth
Unfortunately, the Sabres have been in this situation too many times as of late, and it is one of the reasons they have the longest playoff drought in the NHL at 14 seasons. They almost certainly are going to make moves during the season. While fans would hope it would be to improve their playoff chances, it likely will be the start of another rebuild.
Buffalo Sabres can't do anything until they make a change at general manager
It seemed like entering this season, unless there was a miraculous turnaround, the Sabres were preparing to make a change in their front office. They brought in Jarmo Kekalainen as a Senior Advisor as a logical replacement if they found themselves in this very situation. He has general manager experience after being in that role for over a decade with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
A change in the front office won't have an immediate impact on the ice for the Buffalo Sabres, but what it does is create the potential to make changes when those opportunities arise. As long as Kevyn Adams is general manager, he is not going to be a seller because any moves he makes with that focus would be for the next person to step into the role of general manager.
During Adams' tenure, the Sabres have been sellers during the season and at the trade deadline. They have traded players like Dylan Cozens, Casey Mittelstadt, Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall and Erik Staal during that stretch in moves that would build for the future.
The start of the season has been ugly for the Buffalo Sabres, and maybe with the return of Zach Benson, Josh Norris, Jiri Kulich, and Rasmus Dahlin, they can turn things around.
There is no question they will be more competitive, but will they be a team that can compete for a playoff spot? That doesn't seem likely, and the Sabres need a new general manager to guide them through the remainder of this season, either trying to improve the roster or build for the future.