3 most surprising Sabres players in 2023-24
The Buffalo Sabres may have surprised its fans with a disappointing season, but a few Sabres players surprised us for the better.
The Buffalo Sabres extended a pair of streaks in 2023-24 - the first one being the obvious and more infamous of the two. They extended their playoff drought into its teenage years, breaking their own record once again. But if it makes fans feel any better, they won their home finale yet again, so it’s not all bad, right?
Okay, bad joke. There isn’t a Sabres fan out there who wouldn’t trade in a playoff berth if it meant losing in a home finale. At this point, we would all be okay with making the playoffs and “ceding” our home finale to the Toronto Maple Leafs fans who love taking over KeyBank Center and losing 10-3 if it meant making the playoffs.
Considering the expectations many fans had for this team, missing the postseason for a 13th straight year was one of the most unpleasant surprises. There were a few others, like the fact nobody on this team would score 70 points and even the tough fact that three-game winning streaks were scarce.
The Sabres had plenty of unfortunate surprises but also a few fortunate ones
We don’t need to lament that every surprise in the City of Good Neighbors was bad, especially when you look at a few players. No, it hasn’t been a smooth year for Tage Thompson, despite his late-season resurgence, Alex Tuch, or Jeff Skinner, all three of whom should have been forces following their epic 2022-23 campaigns.
But you can’t say the same about three young players who should, if they stay healthy, parlay their success this season into becoming some of the better players at their respective positions in 2024-25 and beyond. One came into his own, while another made a bigger leap than any of us would have expected, and the third guy on this list wasn’t even supposed to be on the team.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was arguably the Blue and Gold’s biggest surprise
Franchise goaltenders can sometimes come out of nowhere, even when only they and very few others believe in them. Hardly any of us were putting the terms ‘franchise goaltender’ and ‘Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’ in the same sentence back in October, but as the season winds down and Luukkonen could have two more starts left, he’s entering the 2024-25 season as the No. 1 goaltender.
I have spoken a lot about Luukkonen all season, but there was always that nagging feeling that he would return to playing like the mediocre netminder we saw in 2022-23. That’s no longer the case, as his 0.910 save percentage, 2.56 GAA, five shutouts, and just 0.3 goals allowed above expected at even strength have solidified him as the Sabres clear-cut goaltender.
It’s a refreshing thought, as the last time we could say that we knew who the starting goaltender would be following a strong season has felt like an eternity. Yeah, we all believed this time last year that Devon Levi would be the No. 1, but he only enjoyed a solid seven-game sample size, not a full season in the net. So the nod goes to Luukkonen, who, believe it or not, is the oldest player on this list of surprises.
JJ Peterka led the Sabres in goals at several points in 2023-24
At the beginning of the 2023-24 season, nobody had JJ Peterka sitting just two games from a top-four finish on the team in points. Peterka is ahead of players who produced at a high level last season, such as Dylan Cozens and Jeff Skinner, both of whom we figured would beat him in points production. And you could even put Owen Power into the conversation, considering the type of season he had last year.
Unless Cozens or Skinner embark on a scoring spree over the last two games, Peterka will hold onto that fourth-place spot with 50-plus points. As of April 12th, he has 28 goals, which ranks just one behind Tage Thompson to tie for the team lead.
Peterka has made a living this season driving the puck down the wing and outpacing everyone, opponents and teammates alike. Few on the Sabres have moved the puck better, and he’s become a player opponents must expect to take matters into his own hands if he sees an open lane.
Finishing what has been just his second season in the league, Peterka has yet to hit his prime. And if he and linemate Jack Quinn stay healthy all season, the Sabres top-six could easily return to what it was in 2022-23 and then some after a one-year layoff.
Zach Benson played his way onto the big club and impressed
Zach Benson may be the biggest surprise for the Blue and Gold after Ukko-Pekka Luukonen, having spent the entire year in Buffalo after it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that he would return to the WHL.
We all knew Benson would thrive at the Prospects Challenge and in the preseason, and it led to many of us believing he deserved another nine games. But to adjust to the big league enough to stick around for the entire season wasn’t happening, until it did, and Benson has since become one of the team’s most entertaining forwards in April.
He has just 10 goals and 29 points in 69 contests, but between March 12th and April 12th, Benson has 11 points and four goals in 15 games, and his defense has been incredible since he first made the cut.
Benson also spent time on special teams this year, logging over 70 power play and over 50 short-handed minutes. His Corsi For Percentage was a healthy 53.1 at 5-on-5, and he was on the ice for as many goals as the Sabres allowed at even strength.
He broke significant barriers this season, especially as an undersized player, and you can expect a breakout year in 2024-25 from a production standpoint.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)