Buffalo’s 2026-27 outlook comes down to a simple idea: the pieces are in place for another step forward, even after a few big departures. The Sabres started the offseason by trading for the fourth overall pick and landing defenseman Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks, but the noise has quieted since then.
Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram are gone, and that matters. Still, the belief here is that the young players moving into bigger jobs are ready to handle it.
The biggest swing of the bunch is Rasmus Dahlin taking home the Norris Trophy for the first time. He’s coming off a monster year, posting a career-high 74 points with 19 goals and 55 assists in 77 games while finishing third in Norris voting, which was also his best finish.
At 26, he’s squarely in his prime and still has another level to reach. He has not put together a true point-per-game season yet, but he already owns two 70-plus-point seasons, and the expectation here is that he jumps again in 2026-27.
That means point-per-game production, a push toward 90 points, and the kind of scoring pace that puts him at the top of the defensemen leaderboard. Dahlin’s ability to create space, make plays, and chip in as a scorer has already made him one of the league’s most dangerous blueliners.
Over the last three seasons, he’s scored at least 17 goals, including a 20-goal season, so this is not just a passer’s profile. He’s in the mix with Quinn Hughes, Lane Hutson, and reigning Norris winner Zach Werenski, but the case here is that Dahlin finally breaks through.
Buffalo also gets back to 50 wins. The Sabres just finished their third 50-plus win season in franchise history and claimed their first Atlantic Division title since the realignment in 2012-13, and the prediction is that they make it two straight.
Even with Tuch and Byram gone, the roster still has enough to absorb those losses. Zach Benson looks like the key piece in replacing Tuch’s impact after showing in the playoffs that he can drive play, create offense, and stir things up with his forechecking and energy.
Jack Quinn is expected to take on more and score 25-30 goals, while Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius are also part of the answer. Zellweger is projected to step into Byram’s role, and his offensive upside gives Buffalo another weapon on a blue line that already runs deep.
Tage Thompson gives them star power, Beck Malenstyn adds value lower in the lineup, and the defense remains one of the league’s most productive groups. Add in Lindy Ruff’s system, which has the team committed to getting ahead and staying ahead with a complete 200-foot game, and the foundation is there.
Goaltending matters too, and Alex Lyon, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Colten Ellis combined for a .907 save percentage last season. If that level holds, Buffalo stays tough to beat.
Then there’s Konsta Helenius, who is being projected as a Calder Trophy finalist. The praise for him has been steady all offseason, and it’s not just talk after a small NHL sample.
He played nine regular-season games and four playoff games last season, but that was enough to make a real impression. The rookie class he’ll enter is loaded, with Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, Ivar Stenberg, Cole Hutson, Anton Frondell, and Roman Kantserov all in the mix.
Even so, Helenius has the tools to separate himself. The stat line here is 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points, which would put him squarely in the top three of Calder voting.
He was a point-per-game player in the American Hockey League last season and produced in limited NHL minutes, so the projection is built on what he’s already shown: pace, poise, and enough skill to matter when given a chance. Buffalo should give him that chance.
Taken together, these three calls all point the same direction. The Sabres look set to lean on a star defenseman entering his peak, younger players stepping into bigger roles, and a roster that still has enough depth to keep moving up.
If those things land, Buffalo won’t just be better in 2026-27. They’ll be a team nobody wants to see.
In Other News...
Sabres Face One Trade Debate They Cant Ignore This Summer
With Alex Tuch gone, the Sabres are staring at the kind of summer that can shape more than a roster, because the forward group may be heading into the new season without a major external addition. Trade chatter around Buffalo has quieted, but the conversation has not disappeared, and it has naturally turned toward the sort of impact names that would change the conversation overnight.
Among the possibilities floating around, Dylan Larkin has emerged as the kind of player Buffalo insiders believe would move the needle, even if getting him out of Detroit looks like a long shot. The Red Wings are said to be protective of their top center and the asking price would be steep, which leaves the Sabres waiting on a market that has not offered many easy answers. Connor Hellebuyck has also been part of the broader speculation, but the more immediate question in Buffalo is whether a bold swing is coming at all. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Just Entered The NHL Tier Fans Have Waited For
The Sabres find themselves in a more interesting spot than they have in a while, at least by the way some around the league are mapping out the NHL landscape. Analyst Nick Iacoban has Buffalo among four teams on his Contention Cycle chart that are positioned to matter both now and in the future, a label that reflects a club moving out of pure buildup and into a phase where expectations start to shift.
For Buffalo, that makes this offseason approach worth watching. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen stayed cautious, passing on splashier moves such as a trade for Connor Hellebuyck or a signing of Patrick Kane and instead leaning into internal development, a bet on the roster growing together as the window opens. The hope from here is less about a one-year leap than building the kind of consistent playoff presence that confirms the Sabres are finally settling into the tier fans have been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Development Pipeline Shifts Again With Another Familiar Face Moving On
Rochesters bench will look different again when the AHL season opens, and that matters in Buffalo because the Americans remain such an important part of the Sabres development pipeline. Head coach Michael Leone is set to work with a new staff after both of his assistant coaches from the previous two years moved on to other roles, leaving another familiar layer of continuity to be replaced.
Nathan Paetsch is among the departures after three seasons with the Americans, and his exit underscores how much turnover can ripple through an organization that leans on its farm team for growth and stability. For the Sabres, the changes in Rochester are more than a personnel note, since the people working closest to prospects often shape the daily habits and details that carry over when players make the jump. [Read more 🡒]