The Buffalo Sabres are coming off a 6-5 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night, extending their losing streak to seven games (0-5-2). Aside from standout performances by Tage Thompson, who scored 11 goals in his last 18 games, and Alex Tuch, who has tallied 12 points in his last 11 games, the team has struggled to get consistent production from its core players. It’s surprising that the same core, which seemed unstoppable during the 2022-2023 season, has been struggling to find its footing since the start of last season.
The 2022-2023 Sabres were the best version of the team since their playoff drought began. They had an offensive surge, finishing third in the NHL in goals per game (3.57) and ninth in power play percentage (23.4%). Despite ranking among the top 12 in scoring, they were the only team in the top 12 to miss the playoffs. The Sabres ended the season with a 42-33-7 record, earning 91 points—marking their first 40-win season since their last playoff appearance in 2010-2011. They fell just one point short of the second Eastern Conference wild-card berth, secured by the Florida Panthers, who became the Eastern Conference champions.
Career Years for Everyone
The 2022-2023 season was a breakout year for nearly every player on the Sabres. Thompson led the team with 47 goals and 94 points, while Jeff Skinner had 37 goals and 82 points. Tuch set a career-high with 79 points, Rasmus Dahlin impressed with 73 points as a defenseman, and Dylan Cozens notched career-bests in goals (31), assists (37), and points (68). Cozens’ stellar performance earned him a seven-year, $49.7 million contract extension in February 2023. However, since the start of last season, Cozens has managed just 60 points, raising concerns that his 2022-2023 season may have been an outlier for the young center. That said, he still has room to grow.
Cozens played much of that season alongside Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka on the “Kid Line,” a trio that seemed unstoppable. Quinn posted 37 points in 75 games, and Peterka added 32 in 77 games. Their elite chemistry gave fans hope that this line could anchor the Sabres for the next decade.
The team appeared to be building something special. They secured key pieces of their core by extending Thompson, Cozens, and Mattias Samuelsson. Despite missing the playoffs by a single point, hope was unparalleled—even surpassing the Jack Eichel era. Fans anticipated another season of high-powered offense, fueled by dreams of goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen developing into a reliable number-one option. With just competent goaltending, many believed the Sabres were destined to make the playoffs.
Unfortunately, those hopes have not materialized. The Sabres’ struggles this season show that success is more complex than just shoring up a single position.
Sabres Expectations Too High
Heading into the 2023-2024 season, expectations were sky-high. After their best season during the playoff drought, it finally seemed they had the talent and depth to break through and secure a spot in the 16-team tournament. However, the team fell short, finishing with a 39-36-6 record and 84 points—a seven-point drop from the previous campaign. Many of the players who excelled in 2022-2023 regresses. Tuch and Dahlin tied for the team lead with 59 points each, while an injury-plagued Thompson managed 29 goals and 56 points. Cozens also struggled, finishing with only 47 points.
There were some bright spots. Quinn, despite returning from an Achilles injury in late December 2023 and playing just 27 games, contributed 19 points before another lower-body injury ended his season prematurely. Quinn was one of the team’s best players. Peterka also impressed with 28 goals and 50 points, showing promise for the future. Luukkonen had a mild breakout season, posting 27 wins, a .910 save percentage (SV%), and a 2.57 goals-against average (GAA). Yet, his strong play in net wasn’t enough to carry the team into playoff contention.
Related: Changes Need to be Made to Reverse Sabres’ Struggles
Ultimately, expectations may have been too high. Several players who earned contract extensions after their standout seasons failed to deliver at the same level. While the team showed improvements in goaltending and defensive play, they ranked 22nd in goals per game (2.98) and 11th in goals against per game (2.96). The playoff cutoff remained nearly identical to the season before, meaning the Sabres only needed to replicate their previous performance—or take the next step—but they fell short.
Now, the team finds itself at a crossroads. Less than two seasons after inspiring genuine hope, the Sabres are directionless, stuck in a frustrating cycle without a clear path forward.
Sabres’ False Hope
That solid season in 2022-23 gave the Sabres and their fans a false sense of hope. It may have been ambitious to expect a young core of 21–24-year-olds to maintain such a high rate of production, but after seeing them perform at an elite level, those expectations didn’t seem unreasonable. Despite their struggles last season, there was still optimism that the previous year wasn’t just a flash in the pan. Yet, as time passes, it’s becoming clear that it might have been the exception, not the rule.
Following that promising season, the belief was that goaltending was the final missing piece to solidify the team. Luukkonen appeared to be the answer, and with top prospect Devon Levi dominating the NCAA, there was genuine hope that the Sabres’ netminding issues would soon be resolved. Optimism was high.
But the 2023-24 season raised new and opposite concerns. Instead of questions about goaltending, the team needed scoring depth and defensive reinforcements. Injuries to key players like Tuch, Cozens, and Thompson exposed the team’s lack of offensive depth. Surprisingly, instead of addressing the need for scoring at the trade deadline, the Sabres opted to shore up their blue line.
In a significant move, the team traded Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche for Bowen Byram in a one-for-one deal. While acquiring a defenseman of Byram’s caliber was a solid move on paper, it wasn’t necessarily the right one. Given Mittelstadt’s strong play, the Sabres could have leveraged him for a right-handed shutdown defenseman and a middle-six forward, potentially adding a draft pick to sweeten the deal. Instead, while Byram improved the defense, the team’s offensive struggles persisted.
Sabres have traded Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado for Bowen Byram. One for one.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 6, 2024
By the end of the season, the Sabres failed to capitalize on a wide-open race for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Instead of rising to the challenge, the team faltered, posting an 11-9-2 record in their final 22 games to fall short again. The missed opportunity was a stark reminder of how far the team still has to go, despite the hope that burned so brightly just a year earlier.
Back to Square One
Following the disappointment of last season, the Sabres’ performance in 2024-25 has been equally, if not more, unacceptable. Through 28 games, they sit at 11-13-4 (26 points), just one point out of last place in the Atlantic Division. The core players—those under contract for the foreseeable future—have been largely underwhelming, with the exception of Thompson and Luukkonen.
On American Thanksgiving (Nov. 28), the Sabres were just one point out of a playoff spot and two points behind the third spot in the Atlantic. But since then, a seven-game losing streak has left them floundering. Remarkably, despite their struggles, they remain only three points out of the last Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Yet, opportunity after opportunity has slipped through their fingers, and the team has failed to gain traction when it matters most.
This raises a tough question: should Buffalo consider starting a third rebuild if things don’t turn around? The idea is daunting. Fans and the media are running out of patience, and few are willing to wait another three to four years for the team and organization to figure things out. The belief that “the time is now” has given way to a harsh reality—over the past season and a half, the Sabres have lost their identity and are still struggling to find it.
So, what will it take to get back on track? Whether it’s a major shakeup in the roster, coaching staff, front office, or simply a return to basics, something must change. The potential is there—evident from their flashes of brilliance in 2022-2023—but turning that potential into sustained success has proven elusive. For the Sabres to regain relevance, they must find a way to reignite the spark that once made them look like a team on the rise.
