The Buffalo Sabres are heading into this season with a blueline that looks different from the one they rode last year, but the group still has real upside. Bowen Byram is gone after being traded, and Mattias Samuelsson will open the season on injured reserve after getting hurt in a preseason game. Even with those changes, there’s still a strong case for optimism on the back end.
The biggest swing comes from Rasmus Dahlin, who is positioned to finally put Buffalo on the board in the Norris Trophy race. The Sabres have never had a player win the award for the league’s top defenseman, but Dahlin has been knocking on the door for years.
He has received Norris votes in each of the past four seasons, and last year he drew the third-most votes before Zach Werenski won it. Dahlin has averaged 68.5 points per season over the last four years, and after reaching the playoffs for the first time in his career last season, he should have plenty of motivation to push even harder this year.
Owen Power is another player who could take a noticeable step forward. Last season was the first time in his career he finished with 30 points or fewer, landing at 29, but that number doesn’t capture the full picture.
His defensive work took a clear jump, with a Goals For % of 67.73% and an xGoals % of 50.57%, both career bests according to Natural Stat Trick. The Sabres want that defensive growth to stick, but there’s also a path back toward stronger offense.
Power is expected to return to the power play, where he should take on the role Bowen Byram handled last season, and he already picked up a power-play assist in the final preseason game.
The other bold call is that Olen Zellweger finishes second on the team in goals among defensemen, behind Dahlin. That would knock Samuelsson out of the spot he surprisingly claimed last season with 13 goals.
Zellweger is coming in after scoring seven goals in each of his last two seasons with the Ducks, and Buffalo’s style should give him chances to jump into the attack. The key will be finishing better; his career shooting percentage sits at 5.7%, and if he can push that closer to 8%, a 15-goal season is within reach.
Buffalo’s defense may look different, but it still has the pieces to matter. Dahlin, Power and Zellweger give the Sabres plenty to work with, and there’s a real chance this group stays one of the strengths of the roster.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Got More Pressure In The Connor Hellebuyck Chase
The goalie market has taken another turn, and it puts more pressure on Buffalos pursuit of Connor Hellebuyck. Elliotte Friedman reported that Carolina has emerged as the most motivated team to land the Winnipeg netminder, a shift that matters because the Sabres were previously viewed as the club closest to getting something done. For Buffalo, the timing is awkward, with the team still carrying a three-goalie rotation while the rest of the league keeps monitoring a situation that has only grown more complicated.
Hellebuyck remains suspended by the Jets after failing to report for training camp, and the Sabres have yet to turn their interest into a trade. Anaheim, Utah and Florida have also been connected to the goalie this offseason, which only adds to the competition in a market where Buffalo cant afford to let urgency slip away. If the Sabres are still serious about making a move, they may now have to contend with a team that has suddenly pushed itself to the front of the line. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Just Created An Awkward Opening Night Roster Question
The Sabres added another layer to their opening-night roster picture by placing veteran forward Conor Sheary on waivers, a move that stands out because he only recently joined Buffalo again. Sheary brings plenty of experience after a long NHL career and has spent time with the Sabres before, so this was never going to be a no-name training camp battle.
Now Buffalo has to sort out what comes next for a player it brought in to help stabilize the forward group, even as the club keeps trimming and shaping the roster for the start of the season. Waivers always create a little friction this time of year, and for the Sabres the question is whether Sheary clears and stays in the picture or whether another team decides there is value in a proven winger who knows the league well. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Suddenly Have Playoff Buzz Despite Some Real Opening Night Doubts
Buffalos offseason brought real turnover, with Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram gone and a few questions still hanging over the roster, but the early league conversation has been far more optimistic than many around the team might have expected. Preseason chatter has the Sabres being viewed as a playoff team by a large share of analysts, and there is even a sense among some voters that this group could be dangerous if the new mix comes together quickly.
Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson remain the obvious anchors for a team trying to turn potential into something sturdier, yet the opening-night picture is not exactly clean. Jason Zucker, Mattias Samuelsson, Conor Timmins, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon are all carrying injury-related uncertainty, which leaves Buffalo balancing buzz with a little uncertainty right from the start. [Read more 🡒]