The Buffalo Sabres made some big moves this offseason. Not all of them made a ton of sense to people watching from the outside. They traded Alex Tuch, one of their most consistent scorers. Then they shipped Bowen Byram to Chicago. The reaction has been mixed, to put it lightly.
After finally making the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season for the first time in forever, there is a real chance the drought comes right back. And at +2500 odds to win the Cup according to DraftKings, they rank 12th in the league. That is not bad. But it does not exactly scream contender either.
Here is why things could get ugly fast for Buffalo in 2026-27.
The Atlantic Division is a meat grinder
Florida traded for Brady Tkachuk and loaded up again. Montreal looks ready for another deep run. Tampa Bay is still Tampa Bay. Toronto is still trying to figure it out but they have the talent. Boston has David Pastrnak and enough grit to be dangerous. Ottawa keeps improving. Even Detroit can hang around and steal games.
There is no easy night in this division. That is the reality Buffalo faces. One slip up and you are on the outside looking in.
They lost production they have not replaced
Tuch scored 66 points last season. Who is going to make up for that? Tage Thompson is still the guy. Rasmus Dahlin is still elite on the blue line. But after those two, the dropoff is real. Josh Doan and Ryan McLeod both crossed 50 points, and that is fine. But they need more. Jordan Greenway and Josh Norris have to take steps forward too. Right now that is not a guarantee.
The Sabres are basically asking internal improvement to fill a pretty big hole. That is a gamble.
Goaltending is still a problem
In the playoffs against Montreal, the goaltending was a straight up liability. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen went 3-3 with a 3.18 goals-against average and a .876 save percentage. Alex Lyon was worse: 3.40 GAA and .882 save percentage. Those numbers will not cut it.
The Sabres have not addressed this. No trade, no free agent signing. If they are serious about making the playoffs again, they need better play in net. If Luukkonen and Lyon do not improve, the whole season could fall apart fast. Especially with the offensive losses they already took.
Buffalo bet on themselves this summer. We will see soon enough whether that was smart or just another step backward.
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