Buffalo Sabres: Will The Drought Finally End?

The Buffalo Sabres celebrating a preseason victory. Source: Buffalo Sabres (twitter/X)

The Buffalo Sabres have the longest playoff drought in the NHL. The last time they made the playoffs was 2011. Heading into this season, the hope is that things will change because they have a lot going in their favor.

Everything You Need To Know

• The Sabres look like they will be led by their defense for the first time in a long time. They have a great top four with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and 2024 trade deadline addition Bowen Byram. Byram particularly is the cherry on the top as a fast skater who moves the puck. 
• Yet, you can’t sleep on the forwards, especially Tage Thompson. He’s a bigger-bodied forward with a great shot and he can single-handedly take over games. His 114 goals in the last three seasons reflect that.
• This is a new era in Buffalo as they are bringing back Lindy Ruff as their head coach. He coached the team during the glory days and is hoping to bring back that magic tough. The problem is that he’s an old-school coach and just because something worked in 2005 doesn’t mean it will work in 2024. 

Projection

The Sabres have a lot of pieces in place to make the playoffs. So, why won’t they? There are a few things that might keep them just on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Goaltending is one of them as they don’t have a reliable duo (or trio) and forward depth is another. They’ll be on the cusp but might just miss the playoffs.