The Buffalo Sabres' inability to acquire proven high-end talent via trades or free agency is one of the main reasons for the franchise's NHL-record 14-year playoff drought. That doesn't mean they don't have a few elite players on their roster ahead of the 2025-26 season, though.
TSN released its annual ranking of the NHL's top 50 players and two Sabres made cornerstones made the list: defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and forward Tage Thompson.
Buffalo is going to need top-tier offensive production from that dynamic duo if it's going to make a serious postseason push during the upcoming campaign. The Blue and Gold kick off the regular season Oct. 9 when they host the New York Rangers at the KeyBank Center.
Rasmus Dahlin (No. 27 on TSN's list)
Dahlin would have a legitimate chance to crack the ranking's top 10 if he played on a perennial Stanley Cup contender rather than the Sabres. He's an all-world talent who excels in every situation and makes the players around him on the ice exponentially better.
The 2018 first overall pick has recorded 200 points (52 goals and 148 assists) in 232 games across the past three seasons. His relative expected goals for percentage (xGF%) — how his performance in that on-ice metric compares to his teammates — ranks fifth among NHL defensemen over that span, per Natural Stat Trick.
He's a special talent, and he's committed to helping Buffalo turn things around rather than seeking an escape to a more stable organization. In March, the 25-year-old Sweden native responded with frustration when asked about speculation he wanted a trade.
"I have never said I want out of here," Dahlin told reporters. "I'm not happy where we're at. I don't want to lose. We have to get better. I've never said I want out of here. I thought that was pretty clear. That bugs me, actually. I get [ticked] off by that. I haven't even mentioned the word 'leave.' That's just how it is."
While those comments were music to the ears of the Sabres and their fans, the onus is on general manager Kevyn Adams to build a competitive roster around the three-time NHL All-Star while he's still at the peak of his remarkable powers.
Tage Thompson (No. 45 on TSN's list)
Thompson was trending toward being labeled a bust in the first few years after Buffalo acquired him in the 2018 blockbuster trade that sent Ryan O'Reilly to the St. Louis Blues. He eventually found his game and developed into one of the league's most dangerous offensive threats.
The 6-foot-6 forward, who enjoyed his breakout years at center but has since shifted to wing, has topped the 40-goal mark twice over the past three seasons. He's posted 290 points (158 goals and 132 assists) in 303 games since his breakthrough 2021-22 campaign.
Tage has made it clear he's heavily motivated by trying to earn a spot on the Team USA Olympic roster for the 2026 Winter Games in Italy this season. The Arizona native isn't putting that individual goal ahead of team success, though.
"Like, I want to be an Olympian, but getting the Sabres back into the playoffs is always at the forefront," Thompson told Michael Russo of The Athletic.
If Buffalo does make its long-awaited return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you can bet Dahlin and Thompson will be at the center of that surge up the Eastern Conference standings.