At the start of the Buffalo Sabres training camp two weeks ago, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen wasted no time in setting the expectations for the 2026-27 NHL season.
“Last season was last season,” Kekalainen said. “It’s in the past. By no means are we satisfied, even though a lot of people are patting us on the back, saying, ‘You had a great season.’ I said to the team, ‘Pretty good’s not good enough.’”
That says it all, right? The Sabres ended their ridiculous and somewhat unfathomable 14-year postseason drought last spring, and they did it in grand style, capturing the Atlantic Division with 109 points, the third-highest point total in franchise history, and winning at least 50 games for just the third time.
Then, proving they weren’t some
fly-by-night fluke, they dismantled the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs and took the Montreal Canadiens to overtime in Game 7 before losing a 3-2 heartbreaker at KeyBank Center.
It was a season to behold for an organization that had served as a professional sports laughingstock for far too long, an epoch of disgrace that turned a once glorious hockey town into the Siberia of the NHL.
But the past is the past. It’s a new season, and the Sabres won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year. Their performance last season earned them newfound respect around the league, and as you often hear, the hardest part isn’t getting there. It’s staying there.
“To remain where we’re at is a difficult task,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “A lot of teams got better. A lot of teams got through the summer season and they’re back healthy now. There’s teams that missed the playoffs that think they’re playoff teams. And for us, knowing that that last four months was an incredible run, nobody will take us for granted, but it’s knowing we have an incredible amount of work to do ahead of us.”
Echoing the two leaders of the organization, captain Rasmus Dahlin said, “We have got to have the mindset that we’re not satisfied. We made it halfway into the playoffs. We want more, and it’s not going to be easy. We know that to win in this league, it’s hard. It starts today with hard work, and it’s not going to get easier.”
Here are a few questions heading into Thursday night’s season opener at Columbus, and then Saturday night’s home opener against Chicago:
Was running it back at goaltender the right call?
The Sabres have been linked to the trade rumors surrounding Winnipeg goalie and Team USA gold-medal winner Connor Hellebuyck for months, but there has been no deal and Hellebuyck remains unhappily with the Jets, so the Sabres are likely moving on with the status quo.
Last year, both Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon performed well as UPL finished ninth in the league with a 2.52 goals-against average and tied for sixth in save percentage at .909 while Lyon sat at 2.77 and .906 during the regular season, both starting 34 games. And the Sabres thought enough of Colten Ellis (14 starts, mostly as an injury replacement) to keep him on the team all season, and his play helped make the decision to move on from Devon Levi a little easier.
Now, all three have to continue ascending, and early on it will be a challenge because both UPL (ankle) and Lyon (shoulder) got hurt in the preseason and while they weren’t placed on injured reserve, their status is a bit up in the air.
As nice as the rotation worked last year, one would have to believe Ruff would prefer one of them took the reins and became a true No. 1 who makes 45-50 starts (preferably the younger UPL) and then spot him with Lyon and Ellis when the situation dictates a break.
Can the kids live up to the hype?
The Sabres open the season with the third-youngest roster in the NHL with an average age of 26.48 years in their initial 23-man group. Much of that is due to forwards Konsta Helenius (20), Zach Benson (21), Noah Ostlund (22), and Jiri Kulich (22), all former first-round draft picks who are being counted on to assume key roles.
After two solid but unspectacular years, Benson flourished last season as he set career highs in goals (13), assists (30), points (43) and just as importantly, average time on ice (15 minutes, 43 seconds). That time on ice was the fourth-highest among forwards because Ruff trusted his two-way ability in all situations, and that was even more evident in the postseason when Benson was one of Buffalo’s best players.
Ostlund doesn’t have quite the same ability to get under the opposition’s skin like Benson, but he has a similar two-way game and is probably the more dangerous offensive player as he scored on 11 of 60 shots on goal, a scoring percentage of 18.3 which was third-best on the team behind only Josh Norris and Jason Zucker.
Helenuis came up briefly during the regular season and had four points in nine games, and he didn’t get on the ice in the postseason until the final four games against Montreal but he was an immediate difference maker and scored two goals, cementing his roster spot at the start of this season. However, he has not been a standout in camp and the preseason, so he still has plenty to prove.
Kulich is battling his way back after missing all but 12 games with blood clot issues that were eventually surgically repaired. The talent has been obvious during his stints playing for the Rochester Amerks where he scored 53 goals in 123 games, and then had 15 goals for the Sabres in 62 games in 2024-25.
How will the new pieces on defense fit?
Buffalo had arguably the best top four defensemen group in the league last season with Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Bowen Byram and Owen Power. Beyond that, it was a mixed bag that primarily included Connor Timmins, Michael Kesselring, Logan Stanley, and Zach Metsa. But things are a little jumbled to start the season.
Byram was traded to Chicago along with forward Jordan Greenway and the return was defenseman Louis Crevier and two draft picks, one of which became defenseman Daxson Rudolph in the first round. Crevier was slated for a second pair role with Power to replace Byram, but he may now become Dahlin’s partner at the start because Samuelsson may open the season on injured reserve.
The speedy Zellweger was acquired from Anaheim in a trade and he’ll probably be with Power at the start, and then the third pair is up in the air because Timmins is also on injured reserve. At this stage it looks like Metsa and 32-year-old 10-year veteran Matt Grzelcyk, who was just signed as a free agent five days ago, will get that gig because they are the only other two defensemen on the announced 23-man roster. Given Grzelcyk’s experience and the youth throughout the defensive corps, that might prove to be a very nice addition.
Will the power play be any better?
Last year the Sabres tied for 19th with a power-play success rate of 19.5% so it was average at best. Then it became laughable at the end of the regular season and start of the postseason as it went through a gruesome 1-for-46 stretch before things began clicking against the Canadiens and scored nine times in the seven games.
Byram and Alex Tuch are both gone, so Ruff has to change the units and it could be that he starts with a first group consisting of Dahlin quarterbacking, Benson as the agitator in front, Tage Thompson in his usual firing position on the left side, Josh Doan on the other side and Jack Quinn at the point or roaming. The second unit might include Power, Norris, Kulich, Helenius, and Ryan McLeod.
Is Josh Doan ready to be a top-line forward?
Some would say that already happened last season, but it feels like there’s more to come from the 24-year-old and the Sabres would seem to agree as he was given a seven-year, $48.65 million contract extension.
Doan came to Buffalo last year along with Kesselring in the trade that sent JJ Peterka to Utah. Interestingly, Kesselring was the player the Sabres wanted most and Doan was almost a throw-in.
Well, Doan flipped that script. After scoring 12 goals and 28 points in his 68 games in two seasons for the Mammoth, he had 25 goals (eight on the power play) and 52 points while playing all 82 games for Buffalo. He later added three goals and 10 points in the 13 playoff games while averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time.
Doan may wind up playing with Thompson on the top line and if so, his point total should rise.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: The Sabres ended the drought. These six questions come next
