The Buffalo Sabres are trying to do something they’ve only managed once before: stack another division title on top of the one they just won.
Last season was a banner year by any measure. Buffalo took the Atlantic Division, hit 50 wins for only the third time in franchise history, and fell one goal short of the Eastern Conference Final. That kind of run changes the conversation around a team, and it’s why the pressure point this fall is simple: repeat.
The path back won’t be easy. The Atlantic is deeper now, with the Florida Panthers healthy again and Brady Tkachuk in the fold, the Maple Leafs adding Gavin McKenna, the Lightning still built around their core, and the Canadiens continuing to move in the right direction. Buffalo isn’t sneaking up on anybody anymore.
Even so, the Sabres have a real shot to stay on top if three things hold.
First, the goaltending has to keep giving them a chance every night.
Buffalo got exactly that last season from Alex Lyon, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Colton Ellis. Together, they posted a .906 save percentage, and that number mattered. The Sabres are planning to run the same three-goalie setup again, with Lyon and Luukkonen as the main tandem and Ellis stepping in when injuries hit or when the other two need a breather.
Nobody is asking Lyon to duplicate his 10-game winning streak. But the standard is clear: when the game turns messy and the defense slips, the puck has to stay out.
Luukkonen and Ellis have the same job. If Buffalo can get a combined save percentage of .905 or better, that puts them right back in the top tier of the division.
The second key is simple: the young players have to replace what left.
Buffalo moved on from Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, and that means more responsibility for a group that is still growing up fast. Konsta Helenius, Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, Zach Benson, and Olen Zellweger are all part of that next wave, and the Sabres need production from them in different ways.
Helenius is the most intriguing name in the bunch. He’s headed into his rookie season after playing nine regular-season games and four playoff games last year, and he absolutely tore up the AHL with 63 points - 21 goals and 42 assists - in 63 games. He already showed a little of that upside in the playoffs, scoring two goals in four games, and Buffalo is counting on him to bring offense from the top six.
Quinn, Kulich, and Benson are still very young, but they’re no longer just prospects. Quinn is expected to help absorb the offensive loss from Tuch, and the ceiling is obvious: 30 goals and 30 assists is in play if he gets the right opportunity.
Benson made his presence felt in the playoffs with nine points in 13 games and has improved in each of his first two seasons. With Tuch gone, he’s one of the internal answers Buffalo will lean on.
Ostlund is coming off a rookie year that produced 27 points in 60 games, and the Sabres want him to keep building in the middle six. Kulich is the tricky one.
He played only 12 games and had five points before a blood clot in his leg ended his season. There were real concerns about whether he might skate again, but he resumed skating in midseason and is expected at training camp.
Expectations have to be tempered there, not because of talent, but because getting back to full speed after that kind of setback takes time.
Zellweger was brought in to help cover the loss of Byram. He’s 22 and entering his third NHL season, but Anaheim never gave him much runway.
He spent most of the regular season on the third pair and was scratched in the playoffs, appearing in just three games. He’s a puck-moving defenseman who can grow into more if the right partner helps stabilize the defensive side of his game.
The third key is the same thing that carried Buffalo last season: a full buy-in to the “anything to win” approach.
This was a team that played for each other. It blocked shots, finished checks, battled for loose pucks, made timely saves, and scored when it counted.
Every player had a job, and every player did it. With Lindy Ruff back behind the bench, that standard only gets higher.
That mindset has to stay intact whether the player is a familiar face or a new addition. The Sabres’ goal is bigger than another good regular season. They want the Stanley Cup, and the only way there is through complete commitment from the entire roster.
Buffalo now has expectations attached to it. The first one is to defend the division crown, and that chase begins Oct. 1 in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.
In Other News...
Sabres Offseason Verdict Feels Brutal After Long Awaited Breakthrough
After finally snapping a 15-year playoff drought, Buffalo entered the summer with a chance to build real momentum, but the front office has instead spent much of the offseason reshaping the roster around future assets. General manager Jarmo Keklinen has leaned into draft-pick accumulation and contract relief, with moves involving Michael Kesselring, Bowen Byram, Jordan Greenway, Alex Tuch and Devon Levi signaling a clear direction even if it is not the one fans had hoped would follow the breakthrough.
The quieter part is what has not happened since then. Buffalo explored bigger swings, including a run at Patrick Kane and an attempt to land goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, but neither pursuit came through, and the Sabres have been left without a move that clearly raises the ceiling of a team that just proved it can get back to the postseason. For a fan base that waited so long to get there, the pause has made this offseason feel a lot harsher than the spring celebration did. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Prospects Are In The Spotlight As One Big Decision Looms
The World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario, is set to pull together some of the top young talent from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland, and two Sabres prospects will be right in the middle of the Canadian conversation. Samuel Meloche and Daxon Rudolph were among the 32 players named to Canadas roster, giving Buffalo another chance to watch its pipeline talent measured against the best age-group competition in the game.
Rudolph, the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, enters the week with a strong path toward making the Canadian squad, while Meloche is in the mix for a backup role as he competes with Jack Ivankovic, Lucas Beckman and William Lacelle. For the Sabres, the showcase is more than a summer checkpoint. It is another reminder that their prospects are starting to carry real weight on a stage where roster spots are earned quickly and every decision can ripple into the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Forced Into A New Free Agency Debate After Missing Out
The Sabres went into the summer needing more help up front, and the search for it only got more complicated after one of the markets biggest names came off the board. Buffalo had been tied to Patrick Kane, but with that path closed, the front office is back to weighing how best to add a winger who can bring both scoring touch and a little edge to a lineup that still needs more punch.
One name that has surfaced in that discussion is Eeli Tolvanen, who has built a reputation as a hard-working, physical forward with enough offensive skill to matter in a middle-six role. His recent seasons with Seattle showed a player who can chip in at even strength, contribute on the penalty kill and bring a heavier presence than some of the other options still available, which is exactly the kind of fit Buffalo has to sort through now. [Read more 🡒]