The Buffalo Sabres had one of the best seasons in franchise history in 2025-26. After a bit of a shaky start, everything just seemed to come together. The club played well enough to claim the Atlantic Division crown and make it to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Despite the success, the offseason has not come without some interesting developments. And it’s those events that could set the Sabres back next season.
Two particular departures could influence the club’s overall success next season. First, Alex Tuch and his 30+ goals left the organization. That situation could impact the Sabres’ overall scoring, potentially costing the team a win or two.
That shouldn’t be an issue. The Sabres’ overall forward group is deep enough to withstand that loss. That’s why the Sabres weren’t too keen on overpaying for Tuch. In fact, Buffalo’s reluctance to overpay for Tuch could be one of the major factors leading to the team’s success this upcoming season.
Then, there’s the loss of Bowen Byram. Byram was one of the most notable trades this offseason. And while his presence on the blue line could be hard to replace, the fact is that the overall makeup of the Sabres’ blue line should not suffer any significant long-term effects.
The arrival of Olen Zellweger and the continued emergence of Owen Power should help captain Rasmus Dahlin continue to dominate on the ice.
Sabres Will Need to Address Biggest Weakness
The Sabres’ biggest weakness lies in the crease. That’s why there was so much talk about the club landing all-world netminder Connor Hellebuyck.
Now, beyond the fact that adding Hellebuyck would make sense for Buffalo, there’s a bigger issue at play here. The Sabres’ goaltending situation could actually become a major hurdle for the club next season.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen hasn’t exactly been awful, but he hasn’t been that true number-one guy the team needs to go all the way. Yes, there have been teams that have won Stanley Cups without a lights-out goalie.
But those teams require an exceptionally sound defensive team in front of a seemingly pedestrian goalie.
And it’s precisely that reality which could become Buffalo’s Achilles’ heel in 2026-27. Suppose the club ends up turning into the Edmonton Oilers of 2024 and 2025. What would that force the franchise to do?
The Oilers went to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, but ended crashing up against the Florida Panthers both times. The Panthers, for their part, got supreme goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky. The Oilers didn’t. They got just average goaltending, which proved to be insufficient to slay the giant.
That’s the reality the Sabres could face this upcoming season. If the team can’t get the sort of high-end goaltending it needs from Luukkonen, there may be no other choice than to target a proven winner like Hellebuyck or even Jordan Binnington, for that matter.
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What Should Fans Expect from Buffalo This Season?
It should surprise fans to see the Sabres take a step back. In fact, that’s something that could be said about pretty much every playoff team from last season.
Buffalo may see a slight regression in its point totals, but it shouldn’t take away from the team’s ability to contend for a playoff spot and potentially repeat as Atlantic Division champions. The Sabres’ young core is just too good to fall apart after last season’s success.
Ultimately, it won’t really matter how the regular season plays out. Fans will be expecting a breakthrough in the postseason. If the Sabres can do that, no one will really care about dropping a couple of points in the overall standings.
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