Tage Thompson unpacks how Sabres can succeed without Alex Tuch, Bowen Byram

The Buffalo Sabres finally ended a 14-year playoff drought last season and then immediately watched two players who were vital to that long-awaited turnaround, winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram, depart the organization during the offseason.

While it's an unquestioned on-ice setback, at least in the short term, the decision by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to move on is understandable given the lucrative contracts given to Tuch and Byram by the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks, respectively.

So, how will the Sabres will those massive voids? Superstar forward Tage Thompson spoke with Adam Proteau of The Hockey News about the need for young players to step up, as was the case when Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart left Buffalo in 2021.

"We have a lot of skilled young players and a lot of talent in our lineup and, you know, that opens the door for someone to step up or multiple guys to step up," Thompson told Proteau. "You know, I was in a situation like that when we had Eichel and Reinhart and those guys left, and the door opened up for me to take that step. And, you know, now it's going to be the same for some other young guys on our team to take that step."

The Sabres alternate captain was struggling to find his offensive stride in the NHL before the exits of Eichel and Reinhart created a more prominent role. He responded with a breakout season, scoring 68 points (38 goals and 30 assists) in 78 games during the 2021-22 campaign.

Now, Thompson is one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the sport.

Buffalo is hoping its next wave of talented players can make a similar jump. It's a group that includes Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius up front as well as Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier on the blue line.

More established players like Zach Benson, Josh Doan and Owen Power will also be asked to take their games to another level when the 2026-27 season gets underway on Oct. 1.

The Sabres don't need all of those contributors to start producing at a point-per-game pace to succeed but if they can provide consistent secondary scoring to support the faces of the franchise, Thompson and Norris Trophy candidate Rasmus Dahlin, the club should survive the losses of Tuch and Byram.

Of course, those type of transitions are typically easier said than done. There will likely be some growing pains along the way for the Blue and Gold.

Tage Thompson discusses the strength of the NHL's Atlantic Division

The Atlantic Division, where the Sabres have resided since 2013-14, sent five teams to the playoffs last season and four of them posted at least 100 points. Buffalo won the division with a 50-23-9 record (109 points, the league's fourth-highest total).

It figures to get even tougher in 2026-27. All five clubs that reached the postseason will be aiming to make a repeat trip. The Florida Panthers should slide right back into the championship conversation after an injury-plagued year. And the Toronto Maple Leafs have ample bounce-back potential after a busy offseason highlighted by landing No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna.

Put it all together and the margin for error will be extraordinarily thin for members of the Atlantic, and Thompson is aware of the gauntlet that lies ahead.

"Every team in the division has the potential to be a playoff team, so it's just about consistency," he told Proteau. "It's a good lesson we learned making (the) playoffs last year and going the distance that we did, but realizing how far we have to go. So I think, you know, that leaves you with a big sense of hunger that there's more on the table."

Along with putting more pressure on the players on a night-to-night basis, it also elevates the burden on Kekalainen to keep his finger on the pulse of his roster.

This isn't a season where the Sabres will probably be able to overcome an eight- or 10-game losing streak and still make the playoffs. One constant criticism of Kekalainen's predecessor, Kevyn Adams, was that he was too slow to act in key moments.

If Buffalo starts trending in the wrong direction, the veteran GM will need to act quickly, using the team's $5 million in available salary-cap space to find a spark.

All told, the Sabres have enough talent to keep pace in the highly competitive Atlantic and the club's immense depth should help, but a return trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs isn't guaranteed.

Picking up where they left off last season — Buffalo was pretty much the NHL's best regular-season team from mid-December on — with a red-hot start would help relieve some of the tension.

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