The NHL’s move to an 84-game regular season doesn’t look like a problem for the Buffalo Sabres. If anything, the schedule tweak may suit them better than most teams.
The league unveiled the full 2026-27 slate on Thursday, and Buffalo will open Oct. 1 on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Two days later, the Sabres come home for their KeyBank Center opener against the Chicago Blackhawks, who will probably be without Connor Bedard as he recovers from an offseason shoulder injury. Buffalo’s regular season is set to end April 10 at home against the Detroit Red Wings.
What stands out is how many of the Sabres’ current strengths line up with the demands of a longer grind.
One of the biggest reasons is in goal. Buffalo already built a three-goalie setup before last season, claiming Colten Ellis off waivers from the St.
Louis Blues while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was injured. The plan was probably to settle back into a normal two-goalie arrangement, but Ellis and Alex Lyon played well enough to keep all three on the roster.
That kind of setup may be more valuable now than ever. The Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes found success using a rotation, and the NHL’s new rule for 2026-27 requires a full-time emergency backup goalie. The Edmonton Oilers have already said they intend to use one, including former Sabres prospect Devon Levi.
Lindy Ruff managed the workload well enough last season, trying to carve out time for Luukkonen, Lyon and Ellis, even if Ellis’ role shrank late in the year. It isn’t simple to keep three goalies engaged, but Buffalo still finished third in cumulative save percentage at .907. With fewer and fewer netminders playing 70 games, the Sabres already look built for this reality.
Buffalo’s roster profile helps too. The team is one of the youngest in the league, with only four players 30 or older right now: Lyon, Jason Zucker, Justin Danforth and Sam Carrick.
That youth movement has been deliberate. The Sabres gave long-term extensions to Zach Benson, 21, and Josh Doan, 24, while choosing not to match Alex Tuch’s $84 million demands before sending him to the Washington Capitals in a sign-and-trade deal.
That kind of roster construction matters over a seven-month season and a two-month playoff run. Younger players are generally better equipped to absorb the nightly wear and tear, and it gets harder to recover from bumps and bruises after years in the league.
Depth is another reason Buffalo looks ready. Jarmo Kekalainen has kept the organization stocked, with at least 15 forwards expected to compete for 13 active roster spots when training camp opens. One NHL-caliber defenseman, likely Zach Metsa, is also expected to begin the season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans.
That surplus has raised some questions about whether more moves are coming, and that’s still possible. But it also makes sense as a way to survive an 84-game schedule with injuries bound to show up. The Sabres also have an estimated $5.1 million in salary-cap space, according to PuckPedia, giving them room to add another player or two before the 2027 trade deadline if needed.
That cap space could be used sooner if a Connor Hellebuyck trade or a Patrick Kane signing comes together. Buffalo has been heavily linked to Kane, the 37-year-old Buffalo native who is an unrestricted free agent.
For now, though, the Sabres seem set up as well as anyone for the league’s slightly longer road.
In Other News...
Sabres May Finally Have An Answer In The Hellebuyck Chase
Ryan McLeod has quietly become one of the more interesting names in Buffalos ongoing search for a difference-making goalie. The Sabres have spent plenty of time trying to sort out their forward depth, and McLeods recent growth has only made him more appealing as a possible piece in any bigger conversation. His past connection with Jets forward Cole Perfetti adds another layer to why Winnipeg could view him favorably, especially if the Sabres ever get serious about chasing Connor Hellebuyck.
For now, though, this remains more of a fit than a finished deal. Buffalo has other young forwards who could enter the discussion, including Konsta Helenius, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Jack Quinn and Peyton Krebs, but the exact shape of any potential package is still unclear. McLeods value has risen enough to make him a logical talking point, yet the Sabres are still in the speculative stage, waiting to see whether this chase ever turns into something concrete. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Goalie Chase Just Took A Twist Fans Wont Ignore
The Jets took one bit of uncertainty off the board by agreeing to a five-year deal with Cole Perfetti, sidestepping arbitration and keeping one of their young core pieces in place. For Buffalo, though, the bigger storyline still sits in the background: Winnipegs long-running speculation around Connor Hellebuyck, a name that has hovered over the Sabres goalie search and kept trade chatter alive around the league.
Ryan McLeod has surfaced as a logical piece in any return package, which makes the conversation around Buffalo even more interesting given the other names that have been floated. Jack Quinn and Peyton Krebs have also been mentioned as possible components, but the market still feels fluid, and the Sabres are waiting to see how far Winnipeg is willing to go before the real shape of a deal comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Why Sabres Fans Are Suddenly Talking Themselves Into Louis Crevier
Louis Crevier is the kind of defenseman Sabres fans can talk themselves into pretty quickly. After coming over in the deal involving Bowen Byram, the 25-year-old arrived with a season in Chicago that hinted at real growth, the sort of step forward that makes a player look less like a throw-in and more like a piece with a future. He set career highs across the board with the Blackhawks, and for a Buffalo blue line that always has room for more size and stability, that matters.
The appeal starts with the physical profile. At 6-foot-8, Crevier already stands out before he takes a shift, and he backed that up with a heavier, more complete season that showed he can contribute at both ends and play with bite. The Sabres are still sorting out what their long-term top four looks like, but Crevier has at least given the fan base a reason to wonder whether he can grow into that conversation sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]