We are roughly through the quarter-point of the 2025-26 season, and it has already been a tumultuous road for the Buffalo Sabres. At this point, the fan base is simply happy to be above their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the standings even if that means being in 15th in the Eastern Conference.
They have been wildly inconsistent so far, a defining trait for much of the 14 season (and counting) playoff drought. Through 22 games, we have gleaned quite a bit of information, with these three things being the biggest takeaways so far.
Youth Provides Hope and Major Challenges
For the umpteenth season in a row, the Sabres are among the youngest teams in the NHL. Only the Montreal Canadiens, with an average age of 24.96 years, is younger than Buffalo’s 25.81-year average. While youth movements are typically part of a franchise’s turnaround, it has become one of the largest issues for the Sabres over the past few seasons.
Sure, additions like Jason Zucker, Connor Timmins, and Alex Lyon have provided a veteran boost. That said, the core of this team is still mostly under the age of 30 with many even being under 25. That level of inexperience has become quite difficult to overcome for what was once a promising young group.
With that youth comes the need for more sooner. Owen Power continues to struggle with that pressure, which is only compounded by his status as a first overall pick. There are veterans to lean on but not necessarily the “old heads” that can guide those young studs and it has drastically impacted the growth and development of this team.
For Better or Worse, Injuries Will Define This Season
As of this writing, the Sabres have won four of their last five games. It’s a nice little bit of momentum but is a small sample size. They have done it, in part, because important pieces like Zach Benson have returned to the lineup. But there are enough pieces still missing in action that it has come to be the defining point of the season.
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On paper, the Sabres were already rail thin in terms of depth before the season began. They have since been decimated with injuries to names like Zucker, Benson, Josh Norris (though he has a positive update), Jiri Kulich, Michael Kesselring, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Missing that many key pieces is tough for any team to overcome.
It is still early enough in the season to turn things around. The Sabres are just four points back of a wild card spot and the Eastern Conference has massive parity from top to bottom. If the Sabres miss the playoffs – and do so by a considerable margin – it will be hard to focus on anything other than the injuries.
Zach Benson and Josh Doan are the Heart of This Team
With all due respect to guys like Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Rasmus Dahlin – all extremely talented veterans – the real heartbeat of this team is Zach Benson and Josh Doan.
The tenacity that they play with not only provides an energy boost, but the Sabres tend to control the puck more with them on the ice. Doan leads the team with a 53.3% CF while Bensons is third with a 51.4% CF.
Both are play drivers and taking big steps forward offensively. Benson has nine points in nine games so far, while Doan has already matched his career-high in goals (seven) and is close to matching his high of 19 points from last season. Increased playing time is no doubt important, but they are making the most of this bump in ice time.
There are Pieces in Place
Perhaps the most frustrating thing is that there are pieces in place that fans should be excited about. If this were year four instead of year 14 of the rebuild, the sentiment would likely be a lot different than it is now.
The season isn’t out of reach, but the climb is definitely a steep one. The Sabres will need to avoid the long losing streaks that have plagued the franchise of late. More importantly, they’ll need to make the most of each game, garner as many points as possible, and hope to be within striking distance when spring comes around.
