The Florida Panthers are back on the Sabres’ schedule, and Buffalo won’t get much of a break.
Florida missed the playoffs last season, but the roster looks very different now after a busy summer from GM Bill Zito. The Panthers still carry the reputation of being one of the nastiest teams to play against, and with the moves they made, they should be even harder to handle in 2026-27.
The biggest addition is former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, a move that gives Florida a clear boost up front. Zito also reunited the club with veteran defenseman Radko Gudas for his second stint with the franchise. Put those pieces together, and the Panthers look built to make life miserable for opponents again.
There is still a potential opening for teams to attack. In net, Florida moved on from Sergei Bobrovsky, who signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and replaced him with 36-year-old Jacob Markstrom, who is back for a second run with the Panthers. That could end up being a vulnerable spot, and it’s one Buffalo will want to press early.
The Sabres and Panthers will meet four times next season: October 12 in Buffalo, November 21 in Florida, December 30 in Florida and March 20 in Buffalo. Three of those games come before the calendar flips, including Buffalo’s sixth game of the season. Their final matchup lands as Buffalo’s 73rd game, which means the picture for both clubs could look very different by then after the trade deadline.
That early stretch matters. If these teams are going to be in the mix for what could become one of the final wild card spots in the East, Buffalo needs to make the most of those first three chances against Florida.
The Sabres finished last season with plenty to feel good about, including finishing atop the Atlantic Division and beating the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2. Now the next step is obvious: they have to show they can handle a Panthers team that once set the standard and may be headed back there soon.
For Buffalo, Florida is one of the teams standing in the way. If the Sabres want to move forward, they may have to go through the Panthers to do it.
In Other News...
Former Sabres Forward Closes The Book On A Journeyman Career
Jean-Sbastien Dea has closed the book on a long professional hockey career that stretched from North America to Europe, announcing his retirement after more than a decade in the game. The former Sabres forward spent most of his time in the AHL, where he built a steady rsum as a productive, reliable depth scorer, while also earning a handful of NHL appearances along the way.
Deas path eventually carried him overseas, where he finished his career after stops in the KHL and DEL. He departs with 153 goals and 341 points in 517 AHL games, plus five goals and seven points in 37 NHL games, the kind of journey that underscored how many layers there are to a pro hockey career beyond the league spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Doan Makes A Bold Sabres Claim Fans Will Debate
The Sabres entered the offseason with a familiar kind of pressure, and the roster shuffle around them only sharpened it. Bowen Byram was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks and Alex Tuch moved on to the Washington Capitals, leaving Buffalo with real holes to fill, even as the front office brought in defenseman Olen Zellweger and talked up internal development as the way forward.
Josh Doan, though, did not sound like a player preparing for a step backward. The forward made it clear he believes the Sabres can still improve despite the turnover, a view that will resonate with anyone in the organization looking for signs that this group is ready to take responsibility for its own rise. Whether that confidence matches the reality of replacing proven pieces is the part fans are likely to debate well into camp. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres May Have One Path Left To Contender Status
Buffalos search for a real answer in net keeps lingering in the background, and that is why Connor Hellebuycks name has surfaced in offseason trade chatter. The discussion around him is not about a completed deal or even a formal pursuit, but rather about where a goalie of that caliber might land if his current situation ever pushes him into the market.
For the Sabres, the fit is obvious enough to keep them in the conversation with New Jersey and Carolina as possible destinations. Buffalo has spent enough time trying to stabilize goaltending that any proven option naturally draws attention, even if nothing official is on the table yet. The bigger question is whether the Sabres can turn that kind of speculation into the sort of move that finally changes their outlook. [Read more 🡒]