The Buffalo Sabres top five

The Buffalo Sabres missed the postseason once again. For general manager Kevyn Adams, this is going to be a pivotal offseason. With the coaching search underway, the Sabres do have a core of players who will be viable options for the new coach next season.

This season, they had four players who scored over 50 points this season and all four of those players are under contract through next season. Below are the top five-point scorers for the Sabres and how long the organization has them under contract.

1) Alex Tuch (Right-winger) - 59 points; under contract through 2026. Tuch came alive this season and was an instrumental leader for the team as they went through a change after the loss of Kyle Okposo in a trade.

2) Rasmus Dahlin (Defenseman) - 59 points; under contract through 2032. The Swedish defenseman scored 20 goals this season and was first the Sabres defender since Phil Housley to score 20 goals in a season. Rasmus should be a strong captain candidate for next season.

3) Tage Thompson (Center) - 56 points; under contract through 2030. Thompson started slow but came on strong towards the end of the season. He scored four goals in a win against the New Jersey Devils on March 30th.

4) JJ Peterka (Right-winger) - 50 points; under contract through 2025. Only Sabre to play in all 82 games during the season. JJ scored two goals on Jeff Skinner's 1000th game beating the Washington 6-2. If he can continue to stay healthy, he's going to have a stellar career.

5) Dylan Cozens (Center) - 47 points; under contract through 2030. The workhorse from Whitehorse scored two goals in the season finale in a win versus Tampa Bay. Cozens had a shooting percentage of 8.3%. Although he dropped off this season, Dylan could have a strong rebound with the right coach for 2024/2025.

Buffalo does have the pieces in place to end their playoff drought. The key for the new coach will be to get the most out of the players mentioned and many others on the roster.