Breakaway on SI

Atlantic Sleepers: Sabres Playoff Drought Ends?

The Buffalo Sabres are a sleeper team to keep an eye on during the 2024-25 season.

Nick Horwat

Nov 19, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
Nov 19, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
In this story:

2024-25 is set to be a make-or-break year for the Buffalo Sabres. They’ve been slowly improving over the last few years, pulling themselves out of the depths of the Atlantic Division, but this year should be something special.

The Sabres are riding a 13-year playoff drought, but this is current formation is the best the team has looked since making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007.

A deep group of forwards, a skilled set of defensemen, and the return of Lindy Ruff as head coach, the Sabres are a sleeper team to keep an eye on this season.

General manager Kevyn Adams put together a team that not only has offensive ability, but the depth to last an entire season in the playoff conversation. New faces like Jason Zucker, Ryan McLeod, and Sam Lafferty help round out the forward groups, giving them four solid lines.

Tage Thompson will look to bounce back after a disappointing 56-point (29G-27A) campaign. Going well over 30 goals should be the minimum for Thompson as he aims to lead the way offensively.

Alex Tuch also looks to rebound in 2024-25 while youngster Zach Benson is primed to take huge steps forward. In 71 games played last year, Benson capped his rookie campaign with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points. Heading into his sophomore season, 30 points feels like it’s just the beginning of something big.

Led by the freshly minted captain Rasmus Dahlin, the Sabres have one of the youngest and most dangerous blue lines in the NHL. 24-year-old Dahlin has an obvious scoring touch, but so too does 21-year-old Owen Power and 23-year-old Bowen Byram.

Dahlin notched 59 points (20G-39A) in 2023-24, Power had 33 (6G-27A), and Byram put up 29 (11G-18A) between the Sabres and Colorado Avalanche.

The biggest question mark that surround the Sabres has to be their goaltending. There is confidence in the duo of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, but it’ll be up to them to exceed expectations. They have 36-year-old James Reimer as a third option, but it’ll be up to the young guns.

Luukkonen put up a 27-22-4 record last year while Levi went 10-8-2. If they can straighten those numbers out, and everything clicks in front of them, the Sabres can be a sneaky playoff team.

The Atlantic is an absolute dogfight this season. No matter where you look, there are no slouches in that division. The Ottawa Senators might be the team that finishes last, but even they’ve made improvements. A lot will need to go right for the Sabres to keep good standing, but they’re ready for the battle.

The Sabres have the longest active postseason drought in the NHL. They're ready to put that to rest.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway OnSI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more! 

Published
Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

Home/News Feed Page