A one-hit wonder? Perhaps not. The Buffalo Sabres created some true believers during their memorable 2025-26 turnaround season, and it's creating some real expectations as general manager Jarmo Kekalainen prepares to navigate a tricky offseason.
ESPN ranked the Sabres at No. 5 in their debut NHL power rankings for the 2026-27 campaign, ahead of the Stanley Cup finalist Vegas Golden Knights (No. 6). They're behind only the Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens. The Habs eliminated the Blue and Gold in the second round of this year's playoffs.
"The big offseason question for Buffalo is whether they can reach a deal with free agent Alex Tuch, who is one of the top players on the free agent market this summer," ESPN wrote.
So far, it doesn't appear Tuch and the Sabres will be able to bridge the sizable gap in perceived value as the veteran winger nears unrestricted free agency. The two-way forward's potential departure would leave a meaningful void in the club's top-six forward group.
Yet, there's still plenty of reason for optimism in Western New York. Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson will return as the roster pillars, with a promising young core featuring Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Owen Power, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius, among others.
A successful summer from Kekalainen, whose main goal should be landing a bona fide first-line center, should once again put Buffalo among the Eastern Conference elite.
The Sabres' tight salary-cap situation could complicate the front office's efforts to bolster the roster after ending the longest postseason drought in NHL history, though.
Buffalo Sabres may have to wait until the 2027 NHL offseason to truly go all-in chasing a championship
Do the Sabres have the baseline talent to seriously compete next season? Yes. Do they have enough financial flexibility to pursue everything that could be considered a missing piece of the puzzle over the next few months? Probably not.
Along with a top-line center, Buffalo's wish list includes re-signing fourth-line stalwart Beck Malenstyn, more dependable third-pair defensive options and perhaps a proven veteran goaltender, with the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck headlining the possible trade targets.
Those offseason goals are joined by trying to re-sign Zach Benson and Bowen Byram to long-term extensions, while also retaining restricted free agent Peyton Krebs. Another RFA, Michael Kesselring, may be traded but the Sabres shouldn't let him walk for free if a deal isn't found.
That's a lot to accomplish with just $11.9 million in projected cap space (via PuckPedia) and the real number is closer to $11 million when you consider the need for a No. 7 defenseman.
Sure, the Sabres could try to move Jordan Greenway's bloated contract ($4 million) or include Josh Norris ($7.95 million) as part of a blockbuster trade, but trying to deal away less-than-ideal contracts is always far easier said than done.
So, the amount of roster turnover by Kekalainen this offseason may be a little less than expected (or hoped) simply due to the financial constraints.
The team's cap outlook is a lot more favorable beginning in 2027, however, so it may be a situation when Buffalo tries to maintain its momentum next season — and a deep playoff run is still possible — before having more all-in options next summer.
Buffalo's contention window is just opening and, with so many players who are 26 or younger, there's a real opportunity for the franchise to finally build some sustained, lasting success.
Kekalainen shouldn't put those long-term aspirations at risk by being overaggressive this offseason. If the right opportunity comes along, say the St. Louis Blues make center Robert Thomas available again, then by all means he should do everything possible to get a deal done.
Otherwise, the focus should be making sure the current foundation remains strong before the financial picture improves following the 2026-27 season.
