The Buffalo Sabres are walking into 2026-27 with something they haven’t always had in recent years: real belief from around the league.
That showed up in The Athletic’s annual preseason predictions poll, released Tuesday, where Buffalo drew 20.7% of the vote as the NHL’s dark horse Stanley Cup contender. One voter went all the way and picked the Sabres to win it all, though Mark Lazerus attached a twist to that call.
"It's me, the one guy who picked Buffalo," Lazerus wrote. "Because Connor Hellebuyck will be the Conn Smythe winner. (Insert dramatic musical sting here.)"
The Sabres also landed in a far more optimistic place in the playoff forecast than most outside projections. A huge 96.6% of ballots had Buffalo reaching the postseason, and 58.6% of respondents believed the team will eventually trade for Hellebuyck.
There was more recognition on the awards side, too. Rasmus Dahlin finished third in Norris Trophy voting at 10.3%, while Lindy Ruff tied for seventh in Jack Adams Award voting at 3.4%.
Not every category broke Buffalo’s way. Tage Thompson received no votes for the Rocket Richard Trophy, and Konsta Helenius was left off the board for the Calder Trophy.
Even so, the overall takeaway is clear: the Sabres are drawing respect after shedding their long-term laughingstock status last season. Now they have to prove it when the games count.
That challenge starts Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Buffalo already has plenty to sort through before puck drop.
Three expected regulars - Jason Zucker, Mattias Samuelsson and Conor Timmins - are set to begin the season on injured reserve. The goalie situation is also unsettled, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon both dealing with injuries after the preseason.
There’s also the bigger question of whether general manager Jarmo Kekalainen did enough to replace the production lost with the departures of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram.
The Sabres did bring in Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier on the blue line, while prospects Daxon Rudolph and Radim Mrtka are viewed as players who could help solve the defensive picture down the road. But Byram mattered in all three zones, and that absence is going to sting, especially with Samuelsson and Timmins already unavailable.
Up front, Buffalo is betting heavily on growth from within. The club is counting on Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn, Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius to take meaningful steps forward in 2026-27.
That’s a lot to ask from one group, even one with talent. Development doesn’t move in a straight line, and it would be a surprise if all seven made obvious progress at the same time. Some players could stall, others could miss time, and Kulich already dealt with that last season.
That puts the spotlight squarely on Dahlin and Thompson, the two players Buffalo can least afford to lose.
Dahlin is coming off a monster year that put him third in the Norris race behind Zach Werenski of the Blue Jackets and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. He finished with a career-best 74 points, piling up 19 goals and 55 assists in 77 games, and he’ll be aiming to get over the point-per-game mark for the first time.
Thompson, meanwhile, hit 40 goals for the third time in four seasons in 2025-26 and was Buffalo’s steadiest presence in the playoffs, finishing with 15 points in 13 postseason games. With Tuch gone, the early scoring burden falls even more heavily on him.
That’s the reality for the Sabres right now: the outside world is buying in, but the roster is thin in key spots and the pressure is immediate. Teams spend whole seasons leaning on their stars when injuries hit or the play goes sideways. Buffalo may have to do that from the jump Thursday night.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Got More Pressure In The Connor Hellebuyck Chase
The goalie market has taken another turn, and it puts more pressure on Buffalos pursuit of Connor Hellebuyck. Elliotte Friedman reported that Carolina has emerged as the most motivated team to land the Winnipeg netminder, a shift that matters because the Sabres were previously viewed as the club closest to getting something done. For Buffalo, the timing is awkward, with the team still carrying a three-goalie rotation while the rest of the league keeps monitoring a situation that has only grown more complicated.
Hellebuyck remains suspended by the Jets after failing to report for training camp, and the Sabres have yet to turn their interest into a trade. Anaheim, Utah and Florida have also been connected to the goalie this offseason, which only adds to the competition in a market where Buffalo cant afford to let urgency slip away. If the Sabres are still serious about making a move, they may now have to contend with a team that has suddenly pushed itself to the front of the line. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Just Created An Awkward Opening Night Roster Question
The Sabres added another layer to their opening-night roster picture by placing veteran forward Conor Sheary on waivers, a move that stands out because he only recently joined Buffalo again. Sheary brings plenty of experience after a long NHL career and has spent time with the Sabres before, so this was never going to be a no-name training camp battle.
Now Buffalo has to sort out what comes next for a player it brought in to help stabilize the forward group, even as the club keeps trimming and shaping the roster for the start of the season. Waivers always create a little friction this time of year, and for the Sabres the question is whether Sheary clears and stays in the picture or whether another team decides there is value in a proven winger who knows the league well. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Blue Line Faces Early Pressure With A Huge Opportunity Ahead
The Sabres are heading into the season with a very different look on the blue line, and it puts a lot more attention on the players who remain. Rasmus Dahlin sits at the center of it all as a potential Norris Trophy candidate, while Owen Power is being counted on to keep growing offensively and help drive the group from the back end.
There is also a real opening for the defense to become more productive in other ways, especially if Olen Zellweger can turn more chances into goals. With the lineup already thinned by change and injury, Buffalo does not have much margin for a slow start, which is why this unit feels like one of the more fascinating parts of the season to watch even before the first points are on the board. [Read more 🡒]