The Sabres got plenty out of their bottom six in 2025-26, but Josh Dunne’s season fit more into the quiet, hard-to-measure category than the eye-catching one. He was part of a fourth line that helped Buffalo surpass expectations, win the Atlantic Division, and finally snap a 15-year playoff drought. Still, when it came to Dunne’s individual case, the numbers and the usage painted a pretty plain picture.
Dunne appeared in 34 games, with injury and competition from other depth forwards cutting into his run. Offense never became part of the story.
He finished with one goal and three assists, and his average ice time sat at just 9:29 per game. Even with that limited workload, he ended the year at minus-7.
What Dunne was asked to do was straightforward: skate, hit, and hold up defensively. At 6-foot-4, he brings the kind of frame that should matter in those minutes, but the Sabres never really got that kind of edge from him. He ranked ninth on the team in hits per 60 minutes at 7.44, which tells you he was part of the physical mix without exactly driving it.
Defensively, he was serviceable and blocked nearly three shots per 60 minutes. But that kind of all-around competence didn’t separate him from the pack.
Buffalo’s bottom six had speed and bite, and Dunne didn’t quite pop in either area. On a thinner roster, he might have found a cleaner path into the lineup.
Instead, the depth chart got crowded, and even after he got a clean bill of health, he wound up squeezed out late in the regular season.
That reality is reflected in the grade: D+. It’s tough to hand out a clean evaluation to a player who averaged fewer than 10 minutes a night, but the low usage itself says plenty. Dunne got a look in the playoffs because of his size and the matchup against the Boston Bruins, but he never really left a mark once he was in the lineup.
The bigger question now is whether he stays. Dunne is a free agent this offseason, and Buffalo’s forward group already has plenty of names in the mix.
Even with Alex Tuch leaving, the path back looks narrow. Sam Carrick, Beck Malenstyn, Tyson Kozak, and Justin Danforth are all options for the bottom of the lineup, which makes Dunne’s return feel unlikely.
He has a useful skill set, but it may wind up serving someone else better.
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Sabres Lock Up Beck Malenstyn And Shift Free Agency Plans
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The deal also changes the shape of Buffalos summer business in a meaningful way. With just under $10.8 million in cap space, the Sabres still have two restricted free agents left to sort out, and Malenstyns new contract gives the front office a clearer picture of how much flexibility remains as those negotiations move ahead. [Read more 🡒]