Respected outlet claims the Sabres are potential sleepers to make playoffs

The Sabres have one glaring hole in their lineup as their preseason continued today in a matchup against EHC Red Bull Munchen, with their big club lining up against a team in what is the equivalent of a major college football program playing an opponent from the championship subdivision. 

That said, it’s no surprise the Blue and Gold were up 2-0 at the end of the first period, having outshot EHC 11 to five in the game’s first 20 minutes. But they’ll soon face stiffer competition, and there isn’t a fan in the Queen City raring to watch the Sabres finally return to postseason form for the first time in forever.

It’s been so long that throughout Lindy Ruff’s decade-plus-long sabbatical from the team, they made the playoffs exactly zero times. Yeah, that’s kind of hard to do in the NHL, and despite boasting a less-than-stellar projected lineup, Nick Horwat of Sports Illustrated has a promising take on the Sabres, believing they may be sleepers to make the postseason in 2025. 

Horwat makes a compelling case, but he summed things up quite well, saying, “A deep group of forwards, a skilled set of defensemen, and the return of Lindy Ruff as head coach, the Sabres are a sleeper team to keep an eye on this season.”

The Sabres may have a deeper team than many might think

Overall, I like what Horwat’s saying, and while I can complain all I want that the Blue and Gold still don’t have a top-six forward, it’s hard not to get excited for them. We can look past bringing back Lindy Ruff or bringing Rasmus Dahlin on as team captain, and it’s something I’ll do with my own unique take on the team. 

First, I’ll admit again they don’t have the best lineup, but you also don’t need one that’s brimming with elite talent. What you do need are good players who boast excellent chemistry who are also buying into what their head coach and general manager envision, and the Sabres got that. 

They also know how well Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson can connect, and how much further players like JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn have come, a trend that picked up last season. Dylan Cozens is one of the hardest workers in the room, and the bottom six boasts an entirely new look, especially that projected fourth line.

If the Sabres managed to earn a postseason trip last year, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would be a top-10 goaltender in most outlets’ rankings. Then we got Rasmus Dahlin leading a young, talented bunch at defense, something Horwat mentioned in the above link. So, once again, Horwat is more than onto something here, and don’t be surprised if the Blue and Gold play an 83rd game and beyond this season, even if contending for a deep run probably isn’t the case yet.