In their first full season under coach Don Granato the Buffalo Sabres established an identity and showed a lot of improvement over past years. Here is our annual review of the club’s season and look into the future for next year:
Front Office/Coaching
The fruits of GM Kevyn Adams’ patience with the Jack Eichel trade began paying dividends in 2022/23. He has also shown a knack for improving the Sabres’ draft record, although some of the young players are still growing in junior hockey, college and the AHL. Don Granato’s background in coaching before becoming the Sabres’ head man was in the USA player development program, and he has done wonders in developing the overall games of the team’s players.
Goaltenders
Goaltending was a four-man carousel for the Sabres this season. They started the year with 41 year old Craig Anderson and free agent signee Eric Comrie, with top prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen eventually joining the mix. All 3 had mixed results and their share of ups and downs all year, and below par goaltending haunted the team all season. It was arguably the main reason they fell 2 points short of a playoff berth. When his college season ended, one of Adams’ trade acquisition gems, Devon Levi, signed with the club, made an immediate impact as the team’s goalie of the future by being thrown into the net during their season-ending playoff quest, and didn’t disappoint. Anderson retired after the season ended, so Adams will have to decide on a plan of how to supplement Levi with a capable backup, either keeping UPL or Comrie or looking outside the organization for a new option.
Forwards
Nowhere has the job Granato has done developing players to their maximum potential shown more brightly than with the forward ranks. Tage Thompson has become an NHL star and only injuries kept him from reaching the 50 goal mark as he centered the team’s top line most of the year. The wingers on that line, Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch, also attained career highs in goals and points. When Thompson was sidelined late in the year, Casey Mittelstadt was moved up to center the top line and was a revelation. His playmaking skills were on display at new heights, and he added a goal scoring touch, finishing with a career high 15. That line was kept together even after Thompson returned, which leads to a question of how Granato will construct his lines next season. It’s a good problem to have. Thompson finished the year on a line with Dylan Cozens, who also had a career year with 31 goals, and Jordan Greenway, a trade deadline acquisition power forward with tons of potential. Cozens, despite his breakout year, still has a lot of growth potential also, as do 2 rookies who became valuable forwards in 2022/23 – J.J. Peterka and Jack Quinn. The hope should be that this pair match the growth that Cozens achieved this season in 2023/24.
Another youngster picked up in the Eichel deal was Peyton Krebs, who won a job on the checking line and was a valuable contributor. He showed a physical edge to his game and also a lot of playmaking ability. There looks to be a lot of untapped offensive potential for him too. As for the rest of the forwards, there are a lot of questions. Captain Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons are both free agents. Okposo is pondering retirement, but if he decides to continue playing it would be a smart move for the Sabres to try and re-sign him for his leadership. Victor Olofsson is an enigma. An extremely talented goal scorer, his inconsistency and streaky play won him a spot in the press box when the team was playing their most important games at season’s end. His plus/minus rating for the year was a putrid -23, but he also scored 28 goals. Has a Buffalo team ever had a good enough roster that they were able to bench a 28 goal scorer at a most crucial period? His skill set may make him a valuable trade asset if Adams decides to go that route. The 2 other forwards, Tyson Jost and Vinnie Hinostroza, will be pushed for roster spots next season by some talented incoming youngsters.
Defensemen
Buffalo drafted a pair of defensemen in recent years when they had the top pick. Rasmus Dahlin has emerged as an NHL superstar, and Owen Power is headed in that direction also. Almost as important of a piece on the blue line as that pair is Mattias Samuelsson, a big, young physical presence whose skill set is different but just as valued. There is a stark difference in the club’s record in games that he played versus the ones he missed. The rest of the defense corps is average at best, but with little in the pipeline coming up on defense the Sabres may have to get improvement from most or all of them, or look outside the organization for help. Ilya Lyubushkin and Riley Stillman are bigger, more physical players, while Henri Jokiharju and Jacob Bryson are smaller puck-moving options who can be intimidated physically. Kale Clague was basically an extra spare part, but played well when called upon.
Prospects
Buffalo has some top prospects who look ready to not only compete for roster spots next year, but play important roles. Levi, of course, has already begun his journey. Top forward prospects Matt Savoie and Juri Kulich are primed to join him in 2023/24. In the AHL at Rochester, another top draftee, Isak Rosen, continues to rise, while some dark horse possibilities there include Lukas Rousek, who flashed potential in a callup this year, Brandon Biro, Linus Weissbach, Tyson Kozak and Aleksandr Kisakov. Simmering in junior hockey, college or in Europe are guys like Olivier Nadeau, Noah Ostlund, Prokhor Poltapov, Ryan Huglen and 2 who could advance more quickly due to the lack of numbers among defense prospects – Ryan Johnson and Mats Lindgren.