It's been more than 5,200 days since Buffalo Sabres fans were able to witness their favorite hockey team compete in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 14-year drought is the longest in NHL history, and sometimes it feels like the postseason absence will never end.
Lyle Fitzsimmons of Bleacher Report is still buying some Sabres stock ahead of the 2025-26 season, though. While Fitzsimmons admitted "it's hard to feel optimistic about the Sabres these days," the NHL analyst believes Buffalo's core tandem of Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin may have just enough support to push toward the playoff race, and potentially even sneak in.
"But we're going to buck the trend here," Fitzsimmons wrote. "Thompson will score goals. Dahlin will produce from the blue line. And the presence of solid support players like Josh Norris, Alex Tuch, Josh Doan makes the idea of a boost from 79 points — if not a full-on run to a low-rung playoff spot — a solid bet."
Although the Sabres will arrive to training camp next month with a lot of questions to answer, two stand out above the rest if the playoffs are going to become reality.
First and foremost, can Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen bounce back? So much about success in the NHL is tied to goaltender performance, and yet few things are harder to predict from season to season than how a netminder will perform.
UPL is a perfect example. The 26-year-old Finland native looked like a star on the rise in 2023-24 with a 2.57 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. Buffalo rewarded him for that uptick in play with a five-year, $23.75 million contract.
Luukkonen struggled mightily in his first season of the new deal, though. He compiled a lackluster 3.20 GAA and .887 SV% last year. Those numbers were among the worst compared to other full-time starters around the league, and the eye test told a similar story.
So, it's basically impossible to know what to expect from UPL this season. That said, if he returns to his form from two years ago, the Sabres' playoff hopes will receive a massive boost.
The other key factor is whether Buffalo can replace JJ Peterka's goal-scoring production. The German winger recorded 55 goals over the past two seasons before getting traded to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring.
Doan has intriguing two-way upside and Kesselring could finally provide Owen Power with a reliable partner, but the void on the top line was never filled.
The Sabres are betting heavily on internal development from a young group of forwards the includes Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich and Jack Quinn to elevate their offensive games. They also need a healthy season of at least 70 games from Josh Norris.
Of course, Buffalo could look to add a top-six winger via trade ahead of the deadline to provide a scoring boost, but that'll only make sense if it's still in the playoff race at that point.
All told, are the playoffs a realistic target for the Sabres this season? Yes, but they need several things to fall into place perfectly to make Fitzsimmins' prediction come to fruition.
Buffalo is scheduled to open the preseason Sept. 22 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.