The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres are heading into the new NHL season with very different kinds of pressure, and on Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Carter Hutton laid out a bold twist on how their years could end.
Hutton said the Leafs will get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing them last season, while the Sabres could be the team that slips out.
“The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to make the playoffs again this year. I think after last year finishing eighth in the Atlantic… I just think the additions that they’ve made, you add Marchenko to that.
Gavin McKenna who fell in their lap, Bobrovsky, Nick Paul, [Jack] Roslovic, [Teddy] Blueger, [Colton] Sissons, [Brandon] Duhaime. This is a whole totally different lineup, too.
Darren Raddysh you add as that piece on the back end. What can he create?
I think the Leafs get back to the playoffs, and that’s my bold prediction. The other one that I want to go off?
Somebody’s getting in, somebody’s gotta get out. I’ve got to be bold here… I think the Buffalo Sabres might miss the playoffs this year.
That’s my concern. I think that run they went on last year was great, but now you take out Alex Tuch out of there.
There’s 33 goals out of your lineup. They’re putting a lot of weight on [Konsta] Helenius and [Noah] Ostlund to pick up the slack and play there.
Then you have that goalie issue. Are you going to get that consistent goaltending?
UPL has been hit or miss. This is my bold prediction.
I hate to say it, but that’s what I’m thinking here, Ty.”
Tyler Yaremchuk said the Sabres warning doesn’t feel outlandish, pointing to how strong Buffalo looked after its rough opening stretch.
“I don’t think you’re that far off on that Sabres one. From December on, we do kind of forget because from December on they were the best team in the NHL… Maybe I shouldn’t say it was flukey, I don’t think it was, but we all kind of forget that for the first two and a half months of the season they were an absolute dumpster fire, Hutts. I don’t think it’s an insane thing, and a part of it too is just that division is so good.”
The conversation comes as the Atlantic Division opens the season with plenty of uncertainty, especially for a Maple Leafs team that has already gone through a front-office change and a coaching change after a disastrous 2025-26 season. Buffalo, meanwhile, is trying to prove last year’s surge was the start of something lasting after ending the NHL’s longest playoff drought.
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Sabres Just Sent A Big Message About Their Blue Line Plans
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What makes the move especially notable is the timing, with Buffalo committing so quickly to a player who is still new to the organization. Crevier is expected to step into a prominent role right away, and the extension only sharpens the sense that the Sabres see him as more than a stopgap on the back end. The bigger question now is how far the team is willing to go in reshaping its defense around that belief. [Read more 🡒]
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The timing also comes as the blue line continues to take shape, with Louis Creviers recent four-year extension signaling the organizations belief in his development after the Bowen Byram trade. Crevier figures to be part of the defensive conversation quickly, and Buffalos early-season plans will be worth watching as the Sabres sort out how their new-look back end settles in around him. [Read more 🡒]
Why Sabres Fans Should Believe Konsta Helenius Is Built For This
Konsta Helenius has already shown the kind of poise that tends to matter most when the games get bigger and the spotlight gets hotter. The Sabres rookie forward has carried himself with a confidence that has stood out at every stop, from his time in the AHL and Finnish Liiga to the league stage in Buffalo, where he made a strong impression in the playoffs.
For Sabres fans, the appeal is not just upside, but evidence. Helenius has a track record of rising to the moment and handling pressure without looking overwhelmed, which is why his success in Finland and his growth in North America feel connected rather than accidental. The next question is how far that edge can take him once the expectations in Buffalo start to grow. [Read more 🡒]