The Buffalo Sabres are heading into 2026-27 with a different look, and the pressure points are easy to spot. Bowen Byram is gone after being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, who then locked him up on a six-year, $12.5 million extension. Buffalo answered by bringing in Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks, and around the same stretch, the Sabres also dealt Alex Tuch’s rights to the Washington Capitals.
That reshuffle leaves Buffalo searching for the next wave of difference-makers. After winning the Atlantic Division, finishing second in the Eastern Conference, and falling one goal short of the Eastern Conference Final, the Sabres no longer have the luxury of hiding behind last year’s results. The names that matter now are the ones ready to absorb bigger jobs.
Jack Quinn is at the top of that list. With Tuch out of the picture, Buffalo needs scoring to come from somewhere, and Quinn has the kind of shot that can fill the gap.
He finished last season with a career-high 20 goals and 31 assists, and his role is about to grow. More power-play time, more trust in tight games, more chances to be the guy Buffalo leans on when the margin is thin.
The playoffs offered a good glimpse of what that can look like. Quinn put up seven points in 13 postseason games, and his line with McLeod and Zucker was Buffalo’s steadiest trio during the run.
If that chemistry holds and his confidence keeps climbing, a 30-goal season isn’t some far-off ceiling. For this team, it may be a necessity.
Zach Benson is another player who suddenly sits right in the middle of Buffalo’s plans. He signed a seven-year extension this offseason and is being looked at as the main stand-in for Tuch.
The fit makes sense. Benson may play a smaller game, but the style is familiar: relentless on the forecheck, noisy around the crease, irritating after the whistle, and backed by sharp playmaking and solid defensive instincts.
He already took a big step last season, setting career highs with 13 goals, 30 assists, and 43 points. Then he raised the bar again in the playoffs, scoring nine points - five goals and four assists - in 13 games and becoming one of Buffalo’s most valuable forwards.
The Sabres need someone who can do a little bit of everything on the first line, and Benson checks those boxes. Skating with Josh Norris and Tage Thompson, a 60- to 70-point season feels like a fair expectation.
Then there’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the quiet piece that could end up deciding a lot. He turned in one of his best seasons in 2025-26, finishing with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.
More than the numbers, he was the stabilizer. When Buffalo needed a stop, he kept showing up with one.
That matters even more now. The Eastern Conference keeps getting stronger, with the Toronto Maple Leafs adding Gavin McKenna, the Florida Panthers adding Brady Tkachuk, and the Washington Capitals bringing in Jordan Kyrou along with former Sabre Alex Tuch.
Buffalo does not need Luukkonen to become a Vezina candidate. It does need him to stay in the .900 to .905 save percentage range.
If he does, the Sabres have a real shot at another top-three finish in the Atlantic Division.
Buffalo’s next step will come down to who handles the new workload. Quinn, Benson, and Luukkonen are the players positioned to shape that answer. If they deliver in those expanded roles, the Sabres can stay in the division mix and keep pushing toward a deeper playoff run.
In Other News...
These 3 Sabres Could Decide Buffalos Next Step
The Sabres went into the offseason trying to shore up the blue line, but the bigger question in Buffalo is how much of the next step will come from the players already in the room. Losing Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram changes the look of the roster, and it puts a little more weight on the idea that Josh Norris, Jack Quinn and Owen Power will need to drive the conversation when the 2026-27 NHL season gets here.
Norris brings the intrigue of a center whose career has been interrupted by injuries, Quinn carries the kind of offensive upside that can swing a lineup if it finally shows up consistently, and Power remains the one who could shape the defense simply by playing to his style and meeting the standard that comes with his draft pedigree. Buffalo does not need all three to become stars overnight, but it does need some sort of answer from that group if this is going to be more than another season of waiting on the next wave. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Suddenly Look Like A Team Built To Last
Last seasons return to the playoffs gave Buffalo a reminder of what the franchise can look like when the pieces start to fit, and the front office has responded by resisting the urge to force the next step. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has kept the Sabres focused on financial flexibility and the growth of their young core, choosing a patient path over splashy trades or big-ticket signings.
That approach leaves Buffalo with a different kind of promise heading into a rugged Atlantic Division race. The Sabres still have plenty to prove against a loaded field, but they also carry a strong prospect pool and projected cap space that could give them options later, which is exactly the sort of foundation teams hope to have when they are trying to turn one playoff run into something more durable. [Read more 🡒]