It’s not lost upon us that fall is a time for optimism and hope in Western New York, only for this joviality to be replaced by morbid reflection when the Sabres and Bills inevitably falter. And while the City of Buffalo offers fealty to the other Terry and Kim Pegula-owned franchise and their demigod quarterback, the Sabres sport the longest active playoff drought in the NHL, tied only with the NFL’s New York Jets for this dubious distinction among North American men’s professional sports.
The idea of a perpetual rebuild is growing tired and the Sabres constantly prove that they’re worse than the sum of their parts as a team. Buffalo didn’t produce a single 30-goal scorer last season, despite boasting Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch among other talented forwards. Skinner was subsequently bought out as the Sabres found his the final three years of his contract to be too onerous a burden.
As a result of being terrible since the Obama Administration, along with some astute scouting, the Sabres have assembled one of the NHL’s best prospect pools, and their true pathway to contention is still being laid out. Unless the Sabres mortgage their future, they’re still two years away at minimum from being a genuine playoff contender.
Incrementalism matters and Buffalo’s defence trio of Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Bowen Byram, all of whom are 25 and under, are the envy of most player personnel directors. Dahlin, Power and Byram’s internal growth could be the reason why the Sabres have a chance to surprise skeptics (count me in this group until further notice) but it’s incumbent upon Lindy Ruff (who returns for a second stint with the club!) to get the most out of his young core. Patience is running thin in Western New York and it’s on this group to prove that they’re better than the sum of their parts.
Here’s what you need to know about the 2024-25 Buffalo Sabres.
Tage Thompson needs to recreate the magic from stellar 2022-23 season
At his best, Tage Thompson almost forms an optical illusion. He has the longest reach of any active player in the NHL that I’ve covered in-person and during his superlative 2022-23 campaign, he could create magic in one fell swoop, with a booming shot and a deceptive release point that made it extremely difficult to track. Thompson recorded 47 goals and 94 points and he appeared poised to become a perennial All-Star for a young Sabres team looking to find their footing in the league.
Thompson regressed last season to the tune of 29 goals and 56 points, decent numbers in a vacuum, but far from the elite production he displayed two seasons ago. He recorded 29 points at 5-on-5 — tied with Mark Stone, Ross Colton and Jordan Martinook among others, and the Sabres controlled just under 50 percent of the goals at 5-on-5 when he was on the ice.
What a blast by Tage Thompson! 🦬 pic.twitter.com/QiyIzoDG08
— NHL (@NHL) February 19, 2024
We try to provide with you some nuanced analysis but the goal for Thompson should be simple: shoot the damn puck! Thompson’s shooting percent regressed from 15.9 to 11.8 percent — it’s more than likely he’s a true 15 percent shooter, but that’s not enough to account for his production dropoff. He has arguably the hardest shot in the NHL and should be launching at goaltenders, with the goal of creating tons of rebounds for his linemates, if he can’t scorch the net outright. There needs to be a greater need to create with real intentionality ahead of the 2024-25 season, something he can do quite easily.
Most 100+ mph shots this season from a forward:
3 — Tage Thompson
1 or fewer — everyone else in the NHLThere isn’t any forward in hockey who can rip it like Tage. pic.twitter.com/SzdXAvvZA1
— Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) July 4, 2024
Thompson has the skill set and raw ability to dominate every shift. If the Sabres are to push for a playoff spot, it’s incumbent upon Thompson to recreate the magic of two seasons ago, by using his massive frame and NASA-engineered slapshot to create instant offense. At the very least, it would be extremely cool to watch!
Why the Sabres could be the most interesting team at the trade deadline
The most detailed, articulate plans and timelines in professional sports can often change on the fly and the Sabres could potentially become one of the most interesting teams at this year’s deadline. We’ve already gone over the 13-year playoff drought and if Sabres fans find this proposition to be untenable, Buffalo has both the cap space and the prospect pool to make the league shake. Buffalo currently holds $8 million in cap space, before accounting for how it could manipulate LTIR in order to bolster its roster for a playoff run.
Of course, this trajectory only makes sense if the Sabres want to accelerate both polars — they should either retain Dahlin, Power, Byram, Dylan Cozens, Jack Quinn and make everyone else expendable, or dip into their prospect pool to get one of the most sought-after targets on the market. Is this wish fulfilment operating as projection? Perhaps, but the Sabres are firmly stuck near the middle of the league, the worst place you want to be in a salary-capped professional league. Isak Rosen is pro-ready, while 2024 first-rounder Konsta Helenius was universally lauded for his hockey intelligence with a proven ability to produce against grown men in the infancy of his career.
Buffalo is caught between two timelines essentially and it makes complete sense to build around its three under-25 defence pillars, while looking to secure a few more puzzle pieces for the future. What’s the harm in waiting another year? Sabres fans are getting impatient and this notion could force the team into making some intriguing moves that could shake up the landscape of the league.
Projected finish: 6th place in Atlantic Division
All stats from NHL.com, Natural Stat Trick and MoneyPuck.
