The Buffalo Sabres are heading into 2026-27 with a roster that still feels very much in motion, and that puts a spotlight on a handful of players who need to deliver. With an early schedule that could test them right away, the Sabres know they need a cleaner start than they’ve managed in recent years if they want to stay in the mix for the Atlantic Division and keep themselves in the playoff conversation.
There are a few names that will draw more attention than the rest, and not just because of their talent. For this group, the pressure comes from expectation, opportunity, or both.
Jiri Kulich, Ryan Mcleod, and Olen Zellweger all land in the honorable mention category, but each carries a different kind of weight. Kulich is coming back from a blood clot, an issue that threatened his career, and the Sabres are expecting him to return as their No. 1 center and produce north of 25 goals while skating on one of the top two lines.
McLeod has been a steady regular-season scorer, putting up 53 and 54 points over the last two seasons, but his playoff showing left a mark. He scored just one goal in 13 games and, as the source material notes, shied away from the physicality.
If Buffalo gets back to the postseason, the question is whether he can raise his game when it matters most. Zellweger, meanwhile, flashed real top-four potential before ending up benched late in the season and into the playoffs.
With Bowen Byram gone, he should get a chance to absorb those minutes, but how well he fits in remains an open question.
Josh Norris sits near the center of the pressure conversation for a different reason: availability. The line “if he can stay healthy” has followed him so often it might as well be attached to him permanently.
When he’s on the ice, the production is there - 13 goals and 34 points in 44 games last season, along with the kind of underlying numbers that point to a responsible two-way center. The problem is the same one that keeps hanging over him.
He played only 44 games last year, hasn’t topped 56 since 2021-22, and has never reached 66 in a season. At this point, the expectation is simple: he’s going to miss time.
The bigger question is whether he can finally shake the injury bug enough to be effective over a meaningful stretch, and whether he can get back to the 35-goal form he showed in 2021-22. If another injury-riddled year follows, trade talk is only going to get louder.
Jack Quinn is another player the Sabres are counting on to help replace offense after Alex Tuch’s departure. Tuch’s 33 goals won’t be easy to make up, and Quinn is one of the players Buffalo will lean on to do some of that work.
He came into last season under pressure after a disappointing 2024-25, started slowly again, and drew plenty of frustration early. But he found his game and finished with career highs across the board: 20 goals, 31 assists, and 51 points.
There were also stretches where he looked like a real driver of play, controlling the puck and forcing defenders and goalies to deal with him. He’ll turn 25 to start the season and is headed for restricted free agency at the end of the year, which only adds to the stakes.
Inside the organization, there’s still belief he can become a 30-goal scorer, and his 10.5% shooting percentage - the lowest of his career - suggests there may be room for another step.
Mattias Samuelsson is in a different spot. The pressure on him isn’t about proving he can be good; it’s about proving last season wasn’t a one-time spike.
He had the kind of year Buffalo has been waiting for from Norris: a full season, better play across the board, and a real emergence as a foundational piece. Samuelsson scored 13 goals, nearly doubling his total from the previous five seasons combined, and set career highs with 28 assists and 41 points.
The most important number, though, was 78 games played. If he can stay on the ice, chip in around 30 points, and keep giving Buffalo the same steady defensive presence, that would be a major win for the Sabres and a sign he can anchor the blue line for a long time.
Even with the departures of Tuch and Byram, Buffalo believes it can find enough offense from within. Quinn’s growth, Kulich’s return, and the possible rise of Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius all give the Sabres internal options.
If those younger forwards keep developing, Buffalo could soon have a couple of strong players who need more responsibility. For a general manager, that’s the kind of problem worth having.
In Other News...
Sabres Young Core Just Took Another Brutal League-Wide Snub
Jarmo Kekalainen has spent the summer talking up Buffalos ability to handle some of its biggest roster questions from within, including the departures of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram. On paper, the Sabres still have plenty of youth to work with, and there could be a double-digit number of players 25 or younger on the Opening Night roster, a group that includes Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Konsta Helenius and Colten Ellis.
Still, the outside view has not caught up to that optimism. NHL analyst Sonny Sachdeva left Buffalo out of his top five young cores entirely, choosing the Canadiens, Sharks, Ducks, Senators and Flyers ahead of them, and the Sabres were not even part of the honorable mention conversation. The message is familiar for a team trying to climb in a tough division: the depth is real, but until Buffalo proves it has the kind of singular young centerpiece that changes the conversation, it will keep getting treated like a team with promise rather than one already ready to break through. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Linked To Veteran Camp Option For A Troubling Need
The Sabres are still looking for ways to firm up a forward group that could use more stability, and one possible camp solution is a veteran on an unrestricted free agent track who has spent the past season bouncing between Ottawa and Detroit. The appeal is straightforward: a player with recent NHL mileage, enough offensive touch to keep a depth role honest, and the kind of experience that can help a team trying to round out its roster before opening night.
For Buffalo, the question is less about splash and more about fit. A professional tryout agreement would give the club a low-risk look at whether he can supply bottom-six depth and steady leadership, especially for a younger locker room that could use another seasoned voice. The Sabres do not have to decide anything immediately, but the possibility is there if they want one more veteran option in camp. [Read more 🡒]