The Buffalo Sabres’ 4-4-3 start has left plenty of blame to go around, but a few names stand out because the fixes are staring the team right in the face. This isn’t about the goaltenders. It’s about several important skaters who simply aren’t giving Buffalo enough right now.
Rasmus Dahlin is the clearest example of a player the Sabres need to wake up. Usually, he’s the one driving the action and jump-starting the group when things get sluggish.
This season, though, he’s been easy to miss for long stretches. His offense has been limited, some of his defensive decisions have been shaky, and 11 games in, he hasn’t had the kind of presence Buffalo expects from its captain.
That matters even more because Dahlin is supposed to be the team’s top source of offense from the blue line. He needs to move the puck with more urgency and make a stronger impact, whether the opportunity comes at five-on-five or on the “special teams”. When he’s engaged and playing like the leader he is, the Sabres look like a different team.
Josh Doan is another player who hasn’t come close to last season’s level. A year ago, he was playing with the kind of edge and energy that made him stand out every night.
He mixed skill and grit in a way that fit perfectly. This season, that version of Doan has largely disappeared.
He’s losing battles he used to win, staying away from the net more often than he should, and looking slower in the process. Even when the effort is there, it doesn’t always translate the way it did before. Three points in 11 games simply isn’t enough from a player Buffalo locked in on a good-value contract.
Then there’s Josh Norris, who has been the most troubling of the group. His Buffalo stint has already been clouded by the injury that hit nearly immediately after he arrived, and his play since then has only made things murkier. In Ottawa, he was a much different player - one with real finishing touch, a strong shot, a natural feel for being around the net, and solid faceoff ability.
That version hasn’t shown up for the Sabres. Norris has two goals and one assist for three points in 11 games, and the production is only part of the problem.
He’s drifting through shifts, missing chances he should bury, coughing up the puck in awkward spots, and not looking eager to shoot. Of the three players here, he’s the biggest disappointment, and given his history, there’s no guarantee a turnaround is coming.
Even so, Buffalo’s problems don’t stop with these three. Improving their games would help, sure, but it would only address part of what’s broken.
There are other players underperforming too, and when the roster as a whole falls short, the standings usually tell the story. The Sabres need to dig up some heart and fight, because the longer this drags on, the faster the season can slip away.
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The noise only got louder because the return was the sort of package that usually forces rivals to ask whether they could have matched it or at least pushed harder. Instead, the deal went through with New Jersey, and the questions now land on Buffalos front office and Jarmo Kekalainens broader trade approach, especially when it comes to landing star talent before another team does. [Read more 🡒]
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Sabres Teammate Just Put Buffalos Real Problem In The Spotlight
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Josh Doans postgame remarks pushed the conversation beyond the crease and toward the Sabres larger issues. The club has struggled on both special teams, with a penalty kill and power play that have contributed to an uneven start, and Doan suggested the group has not done enough to support its goaltender. For Buffalo, the frustration is no longer just about what Luukkonen is giving up, but about how many problems are piling up around him. [Read more 🡒]