3 major questions the Sabres must answer during training camp

The biggest question surrounding the Buffalo Sabres during training camp is, ‘What will this team do differently to set the stage for a playoff-bound season?’ But we’ve been having this conversation for nearly 14 years, so let’s instead talk about a few other issues facing the team that they must address heading into 2024-25. 

While they finally have what should be a strong bottom-six and a solution at goaltender (see Question No. 3), this Lindy Ruff-led team is far from a finished product. But what will get them closer to fans having faith that this is the year the Blue and Gold will end the drought? Here are three questions they MUST answer immediately.

Who will line up next to (presumably) Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch?

Logic says this is JJ Peterka’s job to lose, but it didn’t stop me from going bold with my line predictions and placing Zach Benson alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. It was a simple justification: Put the inexperienced yet high-potential Benson alongside two proven talents and let him reap the benefits while Peterka lines up alongside some familiar faces. 

Whether you think it’s Peterka or Benson or even someone like newcomer Jason Zucker (let’s hope not), they all share one common denominator: They must earn their spot on the first line. Training camp should ultimately decide who lines up there beside presumably Tage and Tuch. 

What will this young defensive rotation look like?

As with my opinions on which player will become the third man on the top line, there are a lot of questions circulating the defensive rotation. While Rasmus Dahlin is a shoo-in for the first pairing, there is still a lot we don’t know. 

In the projection linked above, I have a familiar face in Mattias Samuelsson lining up alongside Dahlin, but would Kevyn Adams and Lindy Ruff want to take the risk and give the injury-prone stay-at-home blueliner top pairing minutes? It’s a tough question the Blue and Gold must answer at camp this year, and one made tougher thanks to Bowen Byram’s bursting onto the scene late last year. 

How will the Sabres sort out their trio of goaltenders?

Logic says the Sabres will roll with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and James Reimer, while Devon Levi stars in the AHL. But logic hasn’t always been the centerpiece of the Sabres when it comes to netminders over the past season - remember the infamous Levi-Luukkonen-Comrie trio to open things up last year?

Or what about in 2022-23, when Kevyn Adams thought it was a good idea to trust Eric Comrie to be the No. 1 guy in the net while Craig Anderson played once a week? Luckily, that season allowed Luukkonen to take his bumps during what was an adjustment period that proved to be worth it last year. 

While anyone with an ounce of logic would give Levi reps in the AHL even if he’s on paper a better option than Reimer should the Sabres roll with Luukkonen as a true No. 1, history tells us a different story. Some may scoff at this question, but it’s a valid one, considering the turmoil seen at this position seemingly since Ryan Miller retired.