3 Buffalo Sabres Facing Pressure to Perform in 2026-27

It may not have been the most ideal offseason, but the Buffalo Sabres feel like they are prepared to once again contend for the Atlantic Division crown. Given the early strength of their schedule, they will want to get out of the gates in better shape than they have in the past.

Going into the season, there will be a few names that garner more attention than the rest of the roster. These three Sabres, in particular, will be facing a bit of pressure to live up to expectations and help the Sabres reach the playoffs and remain contenders in a tough Eastern Conference.

Honorable Mention: Jiri Kulich, Ryan Mcleod, Olen Zellweger

This trio has different expectations but will face pressure nonetheless. Kulich is returning from a blood clot, something that threatened his career. He was the No.1 center before he left and the expectation is that he can come back and contribute north of 25 goals while playing on one of the top two lines.

For McLeod, he has been tremendous during the regular season, earning 53 and 54 points in each of the past two seasons. What earned him some ire was his playoff performance. He notably shied away from the physicality, scoring just one goal in 13 games. If the Sabres make it back, can he show that he’s able to step his game up to the next level?

Finally, there is Zellweger. The diminutive defenseman showed real top-four promise before ultimately being benched at the end of the season and into the playoffs. It is clear that he will be given a chance to fill the minutes left by the departed Bowen Byram. He has the skills to succeed in Buffalo but just how well he fits in remains to be seen.

Josh Norris, C

The phrase has been used so often that “if he can stay healthy” should be on Norris’ birth certificate. He’s solid offensively – 13 goals, 34 points in 44 games – and the underlying metrics show a solid two-way center that can play a responsible 200-foot game.

Then there’s the other side of the coin. Norris played just 44 games a season ago and hasn’t played in more than 56 games since 2021-22. He has never played more than 66 games in a season. The simple truth at this point is that Norris is going to miss a sizable chunk of time.

Can he finally shake the injury bug enough to be truly effective? If so, can he regain the form he showed in 2021-22 that allowed him to score 35 goals? If he has another injury-plagued season, rumors of his being traded will no doubt reach a boiling point.

Jack Quinn, W

The Sabres are going to be looking in several directions to replace the departed Alex Tuch. One place in which the Sabres will be looking to make up some of those 33 goals is through sixth-year winger Jack Quinn.

Quinn was on the hot season after a subpar 2024-25 season. He started slow this past season, and the discontent grew. But Quinn started to really find his game en route to a banner season: 20 goals, 31 assists, 51 points (all career highs). Moreover, he flashed dominant stretches where he controlled the puck and challenged both defenders and goaltenders.

He will be 25 to begin the season and will be playing for a new contract, set to become a restricted free agent at season’s end. Those inside the organization still feel that Quinn can become a 30-goal scorer. Given the fact that his shooting percentage – 10.5% – was the lowest of his career and he still put up 20 goals, it may not be unrealistic to expect a jump.

Mattias Samuelsson, D

Samuelsson had the glow up in 2025-26 that we all hope for out of Norris: he played a full season, elevated his play across the board, and became a foundational player. It’s not that the pressure is on Samuelsson to once again be an elite player, it’s to show that it wasn’t a one-off.

Samuelsson scored nearly twice as many goals last season (13) as he did in the five seasons prior (7). His 28 assists and 41 points were career-highs by a mile. The most important number is 78 – the number of games Samuelsson played.

If he could contribute even 30 points but still play in the majority of Buffalo’s games and provide the same solid defensive presence, it would be a huge win. More importantly, it would show Samuelsson that he can be a strong piece of the Sabres’ backend for the foreseeable future.

Sabres Counting on a Lot of Internal Improvement

The Sabres let Tuch and Byram walk, and those losses will be tough to replace. That said, the Sabres feel that between Quinn, the return of Kulich, and the elevation of Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius, they can find that offense and more.

Given what we have seen out of those youngsters, it may not be long before the Sabres have a couple of very good forwards in need of an elevated role. That’s as good a problem as a general manager could ask for.