Record - 32-39-11 (75 points), 5th in the Atlantic Division
Goals For: 232 (24th in the NHL), Goals Against: 290 (25th in the NHL)
Leading Goal Scorer - Tage Thompson (38)
Leading Point Scorer - Tage Thompson (68)
When the NHL playoffs rolls around, one the highest rated cities as far as TV viewership goes is the city of Buffalo. It's a crazy thing to think about especially when you consider the fact that the Sabres haven't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011. Not only do they hold the longest current playoff drought in the NHL, but they hold the record for longest playoff drought in league history. This city loves their hockey, and their fans deserve better than what this team has produced over the last 11 years. Unfortunately Sabres fans, that drought is sure to last at least another year. But look on the bright side, despite having not made playoffs in over a decade, the Sabres have still advanced out of the first round more recently than the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I feel like this team is coming into the 2023 season on a clean slate. The never-ending Greek Tragedy that was the departure of now former captain Jack Eichel is finally over. Eichel injured his neck in the middle of the 2021 bubble season that sidelined him for the remainder of the year. The team took a hard stance regarding the treatment that Eichel was seeking for his injury, refusing to let him get his desired procedure. This prompted Eichel to the seek a trade to a team that would allow him to get this surgery. Given his value as a player, the asking price was incredibly high, so most teams were opted out of the running for the Sabres all star captain. After almost six months of tension, displeasure, and disconnection between Jack and the organization, he was finally traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forwards Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, along with two conditional draft picks. When the notification popped up on my phone I was shocked. With what Buffalo was asking from teams like the Rangers, I thought for sure they'd get more in return. The ever important detail that wasn't included in the initial headline was that the Sabres didn't have to retain Jack's salary (which seems to be one of the many reasons that Vegas is in serious cap trouble). This roller coaster of a trade dispute is finally over and the Sabres can move on as an organization.
The team struggled for most of the year, but ended on a high note closing the season out with a 16-9-3 record. Tage Thompson, one of the biggest players in the NHL standing at a towering 6'7, had his coming out party last year putting up a career highs across the board. In this first 145 games as a pro, he had scored 18 goals. In the 78 games he played in last year he scored 38 goals. An insane jump in production. Rasmus Dahlin had his best campaign to date from the backend potting 13 goals and 55 points while playing the most minutes of his young career. The new acquisitions from the Eichel trade in Krebs and Tuch seemed to adjust quite nicely to their new situation as well. But the real highlight of the Sabres' season was when they spoiled their former captains' return to Buffalo with a 3-1 win over Vegas in March. A game that everyone had marked on their calendars proved to be well worth it for Sabres' fans. Aside from the retirement ceremony for long-time Sabres' broadcaster Rick Jeanneret, that game the was the loudest and most packed Keybank Center has been in years.
It was a quiet off-season for the most part for the Sabres. They didn't bring in any big name free agents, and kept the roster pretty much as is. With where they're at as a team, they didn't need to go out and make any big signings. The players they needed to keep they made sure they did. They gave Tage Thompson a well deserved seven year contract extension. They also resigned Victor Olafsson and goalie Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen to keep them in Buffalo for the next two years. Other than that, no real earth shattering moves made by the Sabres' front office this summer.
As we look ahead to 2023, I do expect this team to fall back a little bit in the standings. It won't be because of a lack of compete level or heart, but rather because most teams are simply better than them. Don Granato has instituted a new attitude in their locker room since taking over as head coach during the 2021 season. To finish last season 7 games below .500, only getting better after trading their best player is really something special.
The outcome of this next season depends on a few things. Was last year a fluke season for Tage Thompson? My gut says no, but they better hope he can continue to score at a high rate. What kind of Jeff Skinner will we see? Will he be the 30-40 goal scorer that earned him one of the worst contracts in NHL history? Or will he do absolutely nothing offensively to further prove that his contract is one of the worst ever? Who will be their starting goalie opening night? They started six different netminders over the course of last season, and didn't bring in anyone that they would lock in as their definitive number one goalie. Finally, the biggest question of all, how will 2021 first overall pick Owen Power do in his first full year? He's someone I have on my Calder radar as I believe he will be given a large workload from Don Granato. Can he prove himself right away and be a go-to option for the team?
Like I mentioned, playoffs won't be within reach for the Sabres this year. The drought will sadly continue as they still have a ways to go. By seasons' end, the only cup that will have come to Buffalo during their history is the Chiclets' Cup. Luckily for them, I don't believe they are at square one like some other teams in the league. Slow and steady will win this team a playoff race one of these years. It just won't be in 2023. At least the Buffalo fans will have the Bills to cheer for this fall.
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