The Buffalo Sabres added some defensive insurance over the summer with Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier, but they still haven’t landed the kind of headline move plenty of fans were expecting when the offseason opened.
That’s the tension hanging over this roster. Buffalo lost Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram from last season’s team, yet the franchise is also trying to push into true Stanley Cup contender territory after reaching the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The question is whether the current group has enough high-end firepower to get there.
Dom Luszczyszyn and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic think the Sabres are at least on the edge of something bigger, slotting them into the outlet’s “window opening” category in its annual contention cycle overview. But they also made clear where Buffalo still comes up short.
"Rasmus Dahlin leads the way as a franchise-altering defenseman, but in order for the Sabres to start rubbing elbows with the legit contenders, they'll need someone from their forward group to raise the bar," Luszczyszyn and Wheeler wrote Wednesday. "Tage Thompson in 3B and four Tier 5 guys isn't going to cut it at the highest level; Buffalo needs someone to prove they're franchise-worthy."
That tier language comes from The Athletic’s ranking of the NHL’s top players, and it reflects the same issue facing Buffalo heading into 2026-27: there just aren’t enough forwards near the top of the league’s hierarchy.
The Sabres do have a young group with real upside around Thompson, including Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius. But promise and production aren’t the same thing, and none of those players has reached elite scoring status yet.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen seemed to recognize that need before last season’s trade deadline, when Buffalo tried to swing a deal for St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas. That move never got across the finish line.
The offseason, though, never brought much noise about the Sabres chasing a true top-line forward. They did try to sign Buffalo native Patrick Kane, but at this stage of his career he may not fit the kind of impact addition the roster still needs.
So for now, the Sabres are betting heavily on internal growth. They need that young forward group to take a significant step and help replace the offense that walked out the door.
If that leap doesn’t come, the pressure will shift quickly back onto Kekalainen and the choices he made over the past few months.
Buffalo does have a path to act early if the season pushes it in that direction. The Sabres have $5.1 million in salary-cap space, according to PuckPedia, and a deep prospect pool that could be used if a non-contender starts selling veterans before the trade deadline.
Radim Mrtka is one of the names that keeps coming up in that kind of speculation. The 6-foot-6 defenseman brings size, skill and a willingness to play physical, though his offense didn’t take a step forward in his first post-draft season.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Buffalo used Mrtka and/or its first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft as part of a win-now move during the season. If the right opportunity comes along, that could mean a goalie like Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, though there’s no indication a trade is imminent. More likely, it would be a forward, since the Sabres already have a strong blue line and prized prospect Daxon Rudolph is also on the way.
For now, Buffalo appears willing to wait and see which young forwards separate themselves. The hope is that the answer is already in the room. But if the early returns don’t point in the right direction, Kekalainen may have to move fast.
The Atlantic Division is too tough, and the Eastern Conference too crowded, for Buffalo to sit still for long if it wants to make it back to the playoffs again. The rebuilding mindset has to go eventually, and the Sabres are getting closer to the point where the missing pieces have to be found, not hoped for.
In Other News...
Eric Staals New Sabres Role Comes As Injury Questions Build
The Sabres are adding a familiar face to their bench-adjacent mix this season, with former center Eric Staal set to take on an on-ice coaching role while also continuing his special assistant work for GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Staals new responsibilities are expected to include helping centermen and lending a hand on the power play, giving Buffalo another veteran voice as the team tries to get its groups organized early.
The timing matters because the lineup picture already has a few health questions attached to it. Jason Zucker is recovering from offseason sports hernia surgery and could miss the first two weeks, while Louis Crevier is on track to be ready for the opener after shoulder surgery, and Justin Danforth is likely to begin camp with the club as he works back from knee surgery. For a team trying to settle roles before the games start counting, Staals added presence may be one of the quieter but more useful developments. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Blue Line Battle Is Already Tilting Before Camp Begins
With Bowen Byram gone from the Sabres blue line, Buffalo already has a vacancy to sort through before training camp even opens, and the competition is starting to take shape. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said the club will have to account for Louis Creviers offseason shoulder surgery, while also setting up a path for Olen Zellweger, who signed a three-year deal with Buffalo and figures to be in the mix from the start.
Creviers recovery creates a temporary wrinkle, even if the Sabres still expect him back for the regular season, and that leaves the door open for someone else to seize momentum early. Zellweger, meanwhile, should have the benefit of being on the ice for camp and preseason work, which could matter in a battle that may be decided as much by timing and availability as by talent. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face One Big Hellebuyck Question As Trade Talk Lingers
Connor Hellebuycks name has been circling the league for days, and the Sabres are right there among the teams keeping tabs on the Winnipeg situation. Reports say the Jets have fielded trade inquiries for the goaltender, but the offers have not yet met their price, even as Hellebuyck remains out of camp and interested clubs wait for the asking cost to come down. Buffalo is among the teams linked to the talks, alongside Carolina, San Jose and Edmonton, which is enough to keep the speculation alive without moving it any closer to a conclusion.
For the Sabres, the intrigue is obvious because the search for goaltending help is never far from the front-burner in Buffalo. The front office has at least been mentioned as part of the conversation, but the bigger question is whether the market ever lines up cleanly enough for a real pursuit. For now, the Jets are still shopping for the right return and the Sabres are still waiting like everyone else, hoping the next turn in the standoff makes the path a little clearer. [Read more 🡒]