September is right around the corner, and as the season draws closer, predictions and projections for players on the Buffalo Sabres will start to come to light. With all of the uncertainty surrounding the team going into the 2024-25 season, having a look at the players and seeing which of them have the ability and capacity to put the puck in the back of the net is something that can really spark excitement.
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The Sabres have plenty of young talented players who possess the ability to score, but they only have one left on their current roster with a 40-goal season under his belt since they bought out Jeff Skinner. As they look to improve on their goal-scoring from last season, they will need more contributions from a few others, and these three players in particular are their best chances at 40 pucks hitting the opposing twine.
Tage Thompson, Center
The low-hanging fruit option here is easily Tage Thompson as he is the only Sabres player currently with a 40-goal or more season in his career, when he scored 47 back in the 2022-23 season. He easily can do it again as he is still slated to be their number-one center, and will see time on their top power-play unit as well. He is undoubtedly their most talented scorer and most versatile scoring threat as he can use both his size and hands to make plays toward the net, and score sometimes what seems like at will. He had a bit of a down season in 2023-24 as he finished with 29 goals, but he was a victim of some poor coaching decisions, and some injury problems throughout that time, so getting him back to the 40-goal mark at minimum in 2024-25 is an expectation he can certainly meet.
Thompson has one of the hardest shots in the league, some of the softest hands in tight, and he can score from pretty much anywhere. Using his speed and size to barrel his way up the ice and then crash to the net, or make his way to a one-timer position to blast the puck past a goaltender are just a couple of signature ways that Thompson has shown he can reliably score goals. With some new systems in place from head coach Lindy Ruff, there may be some new scoring methods added to his game this season as well. There is no doubt in my mind that Thompson can put at least 40 goals up on the board this coming season.
Alex Tuch, Right Wing
Besides Thompson, Alex Tuch is the only other Sabres player who has come close to the 40-goal mark in his career, when he put up 36 in the 2022-23 season. He is one of their most dynamic players on the ice, and is another staple in their top-six scoring group, so he will have every chance to reach this milestone for the first time in his career. Using his speed as his primary weapon, Tuch is a menace on the forecheck and can create scoring chances off of turnovers in both zones. Many a time, he has stolen a puck off of an opposing player’s stick and dashed up the ice from his own end and scored on the opposing goalie with a nice simple move, or outworked an opposing player in their own end, and just ripped the puck in the net off a quick shot.
He does not have a big slapshot, or a bunch of slick moves to dangle his way through a whole group of defenders, but his simplistic play style is where his goal-scoring shines. He was limited to a slow start last season, but still finished with a respectable 22 goals. As he gets used to a more physical system, and can use his size and speed more to his advantage, he will find more opportunities to score off of the rush, and off of turnovers, so seeing him push, or even hit the 40-goal mark is very possible.
Jack Quinn, Right Wing
The dark horse of this group, and certainly the most unproven is Jack Quinn. He has shown some excellent progress thus far in his career, and despite some battles with injuries, he has still shown that he is an extremely capable goal scorer. A healthy Quinn, in my humble opinion, could be a lethal goal scorer, and given how the Sabres are stacking themselves up to play this coming season, there are a lot of signs pointing to him scoring 40 goals. He has one of the most natural-looking shots on this team besides Thompson, and his release is smooth and fast. He has the vision to be anywhere in the offensive zone and find an opening for the puck to go in, and the diversity in how he can score is what adds to his lethality. He may not be slated to be on the top line or the top power-play unit like the other two on this list, but ice time alone will not prevent him from netting 40 this season.
Quinn has put in the time and the work to be where he is, and with a highly motivated Dylan Cozens as his linemate, the two of them flying around the ice looking for ways to score together will be something to fear for every opponent. Quinn may not be the fastest player on the ice, but he still has more than enough speed to burn defenders and make his own chances happen at any given moment. His career high for goals so far is 14, and last season he scored nine goals in 27 games, shooting at 16.1% which would have put him at over a 30-goal pace if he played the full season. It stands to reason that he will improve on those numbers with a better coach and better system.
Which of the Three Will Score Most?
All of them have outstanding goal-scoring abilities, and this list does not even account for the likes of JJ Peterka who scored 28 goals last season, or Dylan Cozens who scored 31 in 2022-23. With plenty of goal-scoring talent to go around, it will be a race to see which of these players will hit the 40-goal mark first since each and every one of them is capable of doing so. The easy answer, however, is that Thompson will hit the highest mark by the end of the season, as he has shown the capacity to push the 50-goal mark, then it will be Quinn as I believe he will hit exactly 40 or just above it at around 42, and then Tuch at the 40 mark exactly.
Watching the puck go in the back of the net again will be a breath of fresh air compared to the struggles of last season, but it will lie in the hands of these very capable players. The new coaching staff will need to provide them with the right opportunities to succeed, but at the end of the day, it is up to the players to actually score the goals. Nothing is standing in their way anymore except themselves.
