The Buffalo Sabres got plenty of scoring from all over the lineup in 2025-26, and that kind of balance is exactly what makes the question for 2026-27 so interesting: who can push beyond the 30-goal line next time around?
One name sits in a class of his own. Tage Thompson is the clear bet to do it again, and then some.
He scored 41 goals last season, and the expectation is that he’ll cruise past 30 as long as he stays healthy. He’s reached 40 or more in three of the last four seasons, and there’s every reason to think he’ll be right back in that range.
Josh Doan looks like the next safest bet. After a 25-goal season, he has already shown he can finish, and the new contract he signed at just under $7 million AAV only adds to the sense that he’ll be pushed to keep climbing. For a Sabres team trying to line up another playoff run, another jump from Doan would go a long way.
Jack Quinn is also in the mix. He scored 20 goals last season and could be staring at a major payday when his contract situation comes up at the end of next season.
If Quinn wants to stay in Buffalo, he’ll need to prove to general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen that he belongs, and a 30-goal season would make a loud statement. With Restricted Free Agents pulling in more money across the NHL, a big year could set him up nicely.
Money motivates.
Zach Benson is harder to peg. His game leans more toward playmaking, so he isn’t the most obvious candidate to turn into a 30-goal scorer.
Still, his offensive upside keeps him in the conversation. The expectations around him in Buffalo are high, and while he showed this kind of scoring territory in junior hockey, he may not get enough chances with so many high-end goal scorers around him on the first line.
There are a couple of long shots too. Rasmus Dahlin, who finished third in Norris Trophy voting in 2025-26, has already shown he can pile up goals from the blue line.
He scored 19 last season and added four more in the playoffs, giving him 23 in an extended season. A 30-goal defenseman would be something special, even if the odds are long.
Peyton Krebs is the final name in the mix, though he sits furthest from the finish line. The source points out that around the league, players with 200-plus career goals and multiple 30-goal seasons are not unheard of, citing Tom Wilson in Washington, Brady Tkachuk now in Florida, and J.T.
Miller with the New York Rangers. The question is whether Krebs can get into that company in 2026-27.
In Other News...
How The Sabres Playoff Drought Hurt Three Top Prospects
Buffalos long playoff drought has done more than frustrate the fan base, it has shaped the development path for some of the organizations most promising young players. Casey Mittelstadt, Devon Levi and Nikita Zadorov all reached the NHL early, at a time when the Sabres were trying to find answers while still rebuilding, and each was asked to grow up fast in an environment that offered little margin for error. The result, in different ways, was a tougher learning curve than the team probably intended.
Mittelstadt struggled to establish himself, Levi was pushed into a major role before he had fully settled in, and Zadorovs early Buffalo experience never really matched the promise that followed his arrival. Their careers became reminders that opportunity and readiness are not always the same thing, especially for a team trying to break a skid that has lasted far too long. For the Sabres, the lingering question is whether a little more patience and a little more time in the AHL might have changed the trajectory for all three. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face Another Draft Problem As Forward Depth Gets Tested
Buffalos draft record outside the first round has already become a sore spot under Kevyn Adams, and the problem is starting to look bigger as the team tries to restock its forward pipeline. Only one player taken in rounds 2 through 7 has reached the NHL, a thin return for a club that has needed inexpensive depth and internal options to keep pace as the roster has changed around it.
The latest concern is Stiven Sardarian, whose path has reached a delicate point after finishing his senior season at Michigan Tech. Buffalo still holds his rights for now, but with forward depth already under pressure from recent departures and roster turnover, the Sabres are watching a situation that could leave another pick without ever becoming part of the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Zach Benson Is Becoming The Spark Behind Buffalos Playoff Push
As the Sabres try to build on a rare trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and push for back-to-back appearances, the conversation around their growth has started to include more than just goals and points. On Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tage Thompson pointed to Zach Benson as one of the players helping set the tone, saying the young forwards personality and energy have had a real effect on the teams confidence and the atmosphere inside the room.
Bensons impact has been felt well beyond the ice, where Buffalo has leaned on him as part of a broader uptick in performance and belief. For a team trying to turn one breakthrough into something more lasting, those smaller details matter, and Benson has quickly become one of the more important figures in that effort. [Read more 🡒]