The Buffalo Sabres have missed the playoffs for now 14-consecutive seasons, which is not only the record for the longest NHL playoff drought, but also is tied with the New York Jets of the NFL for the longest playoff drought in all of North American sports.
The Sabres enter the 2025-26 season aiming to end their playoff drought, and with multiple superstars on the roster, you’d expect them to have made the playoffs at least once by now. The franchise has seen them draft Sam Reinhart (2014) and Jack Eichel (2015), both second overall in their respective drafts. They have also had players like Linus Ullmark, Evan Rodrigues, Brandon Montour, and many others.
They also currently have superstars Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin on the roster, as well as one of the better two-way forwards in the NHL, Alex Tuch. There’s been no shortage of talent that has played for the franchise recently. Is this the season they finally get over the hump and get into the playoffs? If they want to do so, here are three things that need to happen for them to break their record-breaking playoff drought.
1: Growth/Development From Young Players
The Sabres are the second-youngest team in the league, trailing only the Montreal Canadiens. As a result, they boast a lot of youthful talent on their roster—players like Zach Benson, Jack Quinn, Jiri Kulich, and Owen Power, and others. The team will need not only them but also their other youngsters to take the next step in their development.
A player to watch in their development is newly acquired forward, Josh Doan, who was acquired from the Utah Mammoth as a part of the return in the J.J. Peterka trade. We should see Doan take the next step offensively this season.
Last season with the Mammoth, Doan recorded 19 points in 51 games with minimal ice time and opportunities. In the 2023-24 season, he played in the Arizona Coyotes’ last 11 games of the season and record nine points (five goals and four assists). He has the offensive potential if given the opportunity, and he will receive more of a chance in Buffalo. The team brought him in to also impact the game defensively and he could be an underrated player heading into the season (according to Evolving Hockey, he ranked in the 85th percentile in defense.) I believe he can take the next step in his offensive game to help complement his already-elite play defensively.
Over the offseason, Quinn re-signed for the next two seasons on a deal worth $3.375 million per season. He ended last season strong by recording more than half a point per game in his last 50 games, hopefully a sign of things to come this season as he is going to need to produce and show the organization that they need to keep him in their long-term plans. With a lethal shot and his playmaking ability when he is healthy, I’d expect nothing less than at least a 50-point 2025-26 from the young winger.
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Not only did he show significant signs of improvement at the end of last season, but his analytics were solid throughout the entire season. According to MoneyPuck, among all Sabres forwards, he was fourth in on-ice expected goals percentage at 53.3%, and sixth in Corsi percentage (corsi%) at 53%. I have a lot of hope for Quinn.
Moving on to Benson, he has all the potential in the world. Defensively, he is one of the league’s elite, ranking in the 98th percentile in defense last season, and I expect that to continue this season. As for his offensive game, he stayed stagnant in production and he needs to produce this season. However, his stats don’t tell the entire story.
Looking beyond just the stat sheet, he had a greater impact on the game and was tied among all Sabres forwards with Thompson in Corsi% at 57%. Benson was also fifth among all forwards on the team with an expected goals per 60 minutes of 0.95, ahead of notable players like Peterka and Ryan McLeod.
Development from the younger guys is crucial for the team’s playoff hopes, and if they take a step in their games, the Sabres could find themselves in the postseason. The organization is taking a very high risk by relying on internal growth; Benson and Kulich are both expected to take on top-six roles while Doan and Quinn are expected to slot in on the third line with McLeod. There’s a lot of pressure on them to produce, and they are going to need to do so night in, night out.
2: Goaltending Needs to Be Better
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is set to be the team’s number-one goalie once again this season. Last season, he had the worst season of his career, posting a record of 24-24-5, a goals against average (GAA) of 3.20, and a save percentage (SV%) of .887. The team will need him to perform significantly better this season, approaching the level of his 2023-24 season, when he posted a 2.57 GAA and a .910 SV% in 55 games.
Ideally, as long as he has a GAA of under 3.00 and an SV of above .900, the team will have a chance to get into the playoffs. However, if he has another season similar to 2024-25, you can kiss the playoffs goodbye. The need for goaltending improvement doesn’t only apply to him, though. It also applies to backup Alex Lyon, whom the team signed to a two-year contract in free agency over the offseason.
Lyon will need to perform well in the games he is asked to play. Asking him to replicate the 2022-23 season, where in 15 games played he posted a 2.89 GAA and a .914 SV%, seems a bit much. However, asking him to have a GAA under 3.00 and a SV% of above .900 is reasonable.
Both of these goaltenders will need to make the saves they are asked to make. Neither of them will be perfect, so they might have games where they’re “off” and don’t perform, which is a part of the game and just a part of sports in general. If they don’t perform, though, the team could be in trouble and staring down a 15th-straight season missing the playoffs.
3: Special Teams Needs to Improve
The final key towards breaking the playoff drought is improving special teams. I cannot stress this enough: special teams is just as crucial as even-strength play. Since the 2022-23 season, the Sabres are seventh in the NHL in even-strength goals with 633 and are only 15 goals behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (648).
If you go over to the teams’ power play and penalty kill, though, they have been below average to say the least. Since 2022-23, the Sabres’ power play ranks 18th in the NHL (19.8%). As for the penalty kill, they rank 22nd (76.5%). The team needs to figure out special teams because if they continue to struggle this season, I have a tough time believing they will get into the playoffs.
Not only can a game be decided by special teams, but it also gives the Sabres little room for error. If the team plays a clean game and both the Sabres and their opponent take minimal penalties, they have a greater chance than not to win. However, if the game is filled with penalties and the team’s special teams are not the greatest, they will probably lose. This makes it very hard for the Sabres to get into a rhythm and play to their strength: even-strength.
These are the three biggest keys to helping break the record-long playoff drought. It’s worth noting that many other variables could influence whether the team makes the playoffs. If the Sabres can accomplish the three points covered here, I have a hard time seeing them miss the playoffs. Is this the season the Sabres finally get over the hump and break the drought?
