The idea of Dylan Larkin ending up in Buffalo is the kind of rumor that gets Sabres fans leaning in.
It makes sense on the surface. If the Sabres landed the Detroit Red Wings center in a trade, the roster would look deeper and a lot more dangerous. Buffalo would finally have the kind of center depth it has been missing for years.
But that kind of move would not turn the Sabres into a contender all by itself.
Larkin would help, no question. He would raise the ceiling and make the lineup better from top to bottom.
Still, one player does not carry an entire team into Stanley Cup territory. Buffalo would still need the rest of the group to actually put it together night after night.
That is the real issue here. Larkin is a strong addition, not a cure-all.
The Sabres have at least started to show some life. They are riding a three-game winning streak, and that stretch has pulled them back into the middle of the Atlantic Division picture. Even with Buffalo sitting near the bottom of the standings, the gap between last place and second place is only three points.
That is how compressed the division is right now, and it gives the Sabres room to stay in the hunt a little longer.
The bigger story, though, is consistency. Buffalo is 5-2-3 over its last 10 games, which is a solid run even with a three-game losing streak mixed in. Two of those losses went to overtime, a sign that the Sabres are still hanging around in tight games.
The problem is that overtime losses still count the same in the standings. At some point, those points start slipping away for good.
That is why Buffalo has to build around the steadier results, like the 2-0 shutout over San Jose and the 3-2 win over the LA Kings, instead of leaning on wild nights like the 7-6 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Goaltending could end up deciding how far this team goes. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been good lately, Colten Ellis has stepped in while Alex Lyon works his way back from injury, and that has kept the Sabres afloat.
Still, “good enough” is not the same as being a contender.
That is why Larkin alone would not save Buffalo, especially if the goaltending does not become more reliable. Even so, there is still a case for the move: adding him could give the Sabres the kind of jolt that helps the whole team find the consistency it showed last season.
In Other News...
Lindy Ruff Just Put A Sabres Leader On Notice
Colten Ellis did enough in net to give Buffalo a chance, turning aside 28 shots in a 2-1 loss to Ottawa, but the Sabres could not make the most of their looks at the other end. The offense again had trouble finishing, and a game that stayed within reach slipped away in the kind of tight contest where one mistake can tilt everything.
Rasmus Dahlin was at the center of that final stretch, and Lindy Ruff did not hide his frustration with the way the Sabres handled some of the late-game choices. For a team trying to tighten up its details and protect leads, the message was clear enough: the margin for error is thin, and the captain's decision-making is now under a brighter spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Lindy Ruff Calls Out A Sabres Problem Fans Know Too Well
The Sabres three-game winning streak disappeared in a 2-1 loss to Ottawa, and the postgame mood was familiar for a team still trying to find consistency at home. Lindy Ruff did not sugarcoat what he saw, pointing to a performance that fell short in the areas that usually decide tight games, especially when Buffalo is trying to build momentum in its own building.
Buffalo has spent much of this season struggling to create the kind of chances that can turn a close night in its favor, and the Senators game fit that pattern. The faceoff battle was especially lopsided, and Ruffs frustration underscored a larger issue the Sabres have not shaken yet, one that keeps showing up whenever they need a cleaner, sharper response after a win. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Suddenly Have A Chance At The Scorer They Need Most
Buffalos offensive issues have made it hard to ignore the need for another true finishing threat, and that is why a name like Jason Robertson has suddenly entered the conversation. The Dallas winger has long fit the profile of the kind of scorer the Sabres could use, especially if they decide to be aggressive before the trade deadline and try to add more punch to a lineup that has struggled to generate enough goals.
Robertsons situation in Dallas is what makes the idea interesting, because contract uncertainty has kept his future from feeling settled. For Buffalo, the appeal is obvious: a chance to chase a proven scorer who could change the look of the attack right away, even if nothing official has materialized yet and the path to any deal remains far from clear. [Read more 🡒]