The Buffalo Sabres are only 12 games into the season, but the early read is already a little uncomfortable.
After last year’s six-month surge ended one win shy of the Eastern Conference Final, expectations around Buffalo jumped fast. Instead of charging out as a team ready to build on that breakthrough, the Sabres have opened 5-4-3, which leaves them tied for 12th in the crowded East. HockeyStats.com still gives them a 49% chance to reach the playoffs, but that’s not the kind of number fans were hoping to see after the breakthrough season.
That tension was part of the backdrop for Shayna Goldman of The Athletic, who listed Buffalo among the losers of the long Connor Hellebuyck saga before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils. Her assessment was blunt:
"The Sabres are a step behind in the contender's cycle at this point. After making some offseason moves with the long-term future in mind, it gives them a little more leeway because adding Hellebuyck (and Hellebuyck alone) may not have been enough to put them over the top.
Not when Buffalo is struggling so much to score, both at even strength and on the power play. It's a reminder that development isn't a straight line for an up-and-coming team, and maybe even a reality check on its trajectory after last year's excitement."
The Athletic's Shayna Goldman
That reality check is hitting a front office that had plenty to sort through after a breakout year. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who took over the Buffalo front office from Kevyn Adams last December, made major roster choices over the offseason, including trading Alex Tuch to the Washington Capitals and Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks when it became clear neither was going to sign a long-term extension in Western New York.
Buffalo has been in better shape replacing Byram than replacing Tuch. The Sabres brought in Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks, and he has fit neatly next to Owen Power on the second pair. The No. 4 overall pick Buffalo got from Chicago, Daxon Rudolph, is also off to a strong start at the University of Denver as he works toward an NHL arrival next season.
The Tuch departure has been a different story. The 6-foot-4 winger was Buffalo’s most complete forward, a player who mattered at even strength and also carried important responsibilities on the power play and penalty kill.
Kekalainen chose to count on internal growth up front instead, and while players such as Jack Quinn and Noah Ostlund have answered the call, the numbers haven’t been kind. Buffalo has fallen from fifth to 24th in goals per game and from fourth to 25th on the penalty kill.
The inconsistency has shown up elsewhere too. Goaltending has been part of the problem, and the Sabres have leaned on a string of third-period comebacks just to keep the early season from getting uglier. Without those rallies, the hole would look a lot deeper.
There is still time to straighten things out. Buffalo didn’t really get rolling last season until mid-December. But the mood around the team is already shifting, and the front office is feeling that pressure.
Kekalainen has certainly tried to swing big. He pursued Colton Parayko and Robert Thomas from the St.
Louis Blues before last season’s trade deadline, though Parayko used his no-trade clause and the Thomas chase came up short. The Hellebuyck rumors followed, especially ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, and now there’s growing speculation that Buffalo has its eye on Detroit Red Wings star Dylan Larkin, even though he has not put the Sabres on his list of acceptable destinations.
There’s a difference between aiming for a blockbuster and actually landing one. That part is obvious, and not just in Buffalo.
Kekalainen deserves credit for the Byram and Zellweger deals, and moving Tuch once the contract gap became too wide to bridge made sense. He has also done well to secure young players on long-term extensions early. But if the Sabres are serious about becoming a real Stanley Cup contender, the roster probably needs more than internal growth.
A true No. 1 center is a must, and Larkin would fit that bill if Buffalo can somehow get there. A goalie may also be necessary, even if the team is right to be wary of overpaying at a position that can swing wildly from year to year.
Those conversations would feel different if the Sabres were sitting near the top of the East. Instead, the standings are putting the focus directly on Kekalainen, and quickly. Nobody in Buffalo wants to see the franchise slip back below the playoff line one year after finally ending the longest postseason drought in NHL history.
Right now, that risk is real. And if the Sabres want to change the conversation, an outside addition may be the easiest way to get there.
In Other News...
Sabres Face One Trade Deadline Problem As Scoring Need Grows
The Sabres search for more offense is getting harder to ignore as the trade deadline approaches, with the front office reportedly looking for help on the wing. Buffalo has been trying to find a way to add scoring without doing damage to its already tight cap situation, which makes any move a balancing act and raises the importance of finding the right fit rather than just the biggest name available.
Chicagos parallel search for offense only adds another layer to the market the Sabres have to navigate. The Blackhawks have checked in on scoring wingers and have had discussions with Washington about Ivan Miroshnichenko, while the Flyers, Flames and Kraken have also shown interest. With multiple teams chasing the same type of player and some Chicago pieces already surfacing in rumor chatter, Buffalo may have to wait for the market to break in its favor before it can make the kind of add it wants. [Read more 🡒]
Zach Benson May Have Given The Sabres A Needed Spark
Zach Bensons night against San Jose gave the Sabres a little of the energy they have been searching for, and it came at a useful time. Buffalo put together a tidy performance in a 2-0 victory, with the young forward finally breaking through for his first goal of the season and adding a fresh layer to a lineup that has been looking for an offensive spark.
The win was built on more than just one moment, of course, with Colten Ellis turning aside 23 shots to keep the Sharks from ever getting settled. Still, Bensons goal was the kind of timely development Buffalo can point to as it tries to find more consistent offense, and his reaction afterward suggested the moment carried some weight for him after the slow start. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres May Have A Real Shot At A Center Fans Crave
The Sabres search for a top-line center has lingered long enough that every credible name gets attention, and Dylan Larkin is the kind of swing that naturally draws interest. The Red Wings have kept talking to teams while holding a steep price, but Buffalo has stayed in the conversation as one of the clubs monitoring the situation closely, which at least suggests the front office is willing to explore a more aggressive path if the fit is right.
Larkins request has been on Detroits books since May, and the standoff has only added pressure to a situation that already had real intrigue around the league. For Buffalo, the bigger question is whether the pieces it would take to enter that market are worth moving, with discussions reportedly centered on packages built around prospects and draft picks, a familiar formula when a team is chasing a center it believes can change the direction of its forward group. [Read more 🡒]