Rasmus Dahlin, goaltending, the drought: 5 questions that face the Buffalo Sabres in 2025-26
News sports reporter Rachel Lenzi and hockey columnist Mike Harrington answer five questions that face the Buffalo Sabres in 2025-26.
The Buffalo Sabres have gone 14 years without a playoff berth, and they face plenty of questions as they prepare for the start of the 2025-26 season, including the health of their defense, Kevyn Adams' future as general manager and Rasmus Dahlin's value as one of the top defensemen in the NHL.
News sports reporter Rachel Lenzi and columnist Mike Harrington offer this roundtable discussion on those topics and other areas heading into the season's opening faceoff.
Is Rasmus Dahlin a bona fide Norris Trophy finalist?
Lenzi: As the Sabres go, so will Dahlin’s chances at being a Norris finalist. He finished sixth in voting last season for the award, given annually to the top defenseman in the NHL (won by Colorado’s Cale Makar), and Dahlin alone is a force on the blue line. He’s 25 years old and enters his eighth season, which, in NHL years, means he’s in his prime. But Dahlin can’t play 60 minutes – he averaged 24:14 in 73 games last season – so his teammates need to step up and help the Sabres’ efforts to become a better defensive team. They can start by cutting down goals against (287, tied for 30th in the NHL in 2024-25). Imagine how Dahlin’s chances at the Norris would skyrocket if the Sabres fulfill Lindy Ruff’s wish of being a stronger defensive team.
Rasmus Dahlin skates up ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at KeyBank Center on Sept. 23, 2025.
Harry Scull/Buffalo News
Harrington: Once you get into the top 10, it shows the voters have you on their minds. A note on the sixth-place finish: Dahlin had 30 voters pick him for either third or fourth place. Getting to a top-3 finalist rung won't be easy because it would seem that, barring injury, Makar and Vancouver's Quinn Hughes may have a grip on two of the spots. But there's room for Dahlin to ascend if he improves on his point total of 68 − and if his team improves its point total. If the Sabres snap their drought, Dahlin will be a major reason why, and the voters will reward him for that jump.
Is the Sabres defense legitimately fortified?
Lenzi: The Sabres first need to answer the question of defensive depth and health to answer the question of collective toughness and strength. The emphasis needs to be on health, given how the final days of training camp unfolded. Four defensemen suffered injuries by the time the Sabres were a week out from the season opener against the New York Rangers. The Sabres faced the possibility of starting the season without defensemen Bowen Byram – Dahlin’s projected partner on the top pair – but should have Byram back for the opener. There’s the case of the oft-injured Mattias Samuelsson, who missed the final days of camp with an upper-body injury. The Sabres were also without Owen Power late in training camp, which thinned the position, and after adding to their toughness quotient by trading for Michael Kesselring, he re-aggravated an injury that Ruff said nagged him throughout camp.Harrington: It was improved on paper with the retention of Byram and the addition of Kesselring and Conor Timmins. But the injuries on the blue line became a huge story in camp, and Kesselring missing out on the opening of the season is a major disappointment. That was your big offseason pickup, acquired for first-liner JJ Peterka. It can't be 30 minutes of Dahlin and hope for the best elsewhere. These guys need to be on the ice. On the plus side at camp was the burgeoning depth of the prospect pool. Former first-round pick Ryan Johnson looked like an NHL defenseman more than any time in his career. First-rounder Radim Mrtka might be looking at an NHL debut as soon as next season. Low draft picks Vsevolod Komarov (5, 2022) and Nikita Novikov (6, 2021) are now anchors in Rochester. Komarov had lots of good moments in the exhibition finale in Pittsburgh playing against Sidney Crosby and a full Penguins lineup.
Will this year’s goaltending be consistent?
Lenzi: The Sabres have no choice. They have to get it. They’ve already elevated Alex Lyon to be the starter in the season opener, a little more than two months after signing him to be Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s understudy. Instead, Luukkonen – last season’s No. 1 goalie, albeit with consistency issues – is week-to-week with a lower body injury, and Lyon and former NHL All-Star Alexandar Georgiev will carry the position until Luukkonen is healthy and ready to return. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said during training camp that he’s not enamored with the idea of carrying three goaltenders on the roster, but given the Sabres’ woes, they may have to carry three goalies with a combined 23 years of pro hockey experience out of necessity and insurance, rather than a luxury.
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) talks with the bench after an ice scraping against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025.
Harry Scull/Buffalo News
Harrington: Anyone who has an answer to this question should be lining up to pick Powerball numbers. I like the Lyon pickup in free agency, but that was designed to grab a veteran to play roughly 35 games and not a starter. Georgiev had his best period of the preseason Friday in Pittsburgh but still doesn't engender much confidence. Luukkonen played one period in the preseason. One. Now he's hurt again. Whenever he's ready to play, he's going to need to go to Rochester for some rehab games. Will we see him before Halloween? Before Thanksgiving? And what version of him emerges? We have no idea how many saves they will get. The scary part is, management and the coaching staff have the same problem. Devon Levi needs to keep his cell phone volume turned up.
Will the Sabres make the playoffs?
Lenzi: The Sabres will finally break the 14-year drought. They’ll need some help from other teams. They’ll need to avoid the dreaded lengthy losing streaks – a team can lose five or six in a row in November, and it will catch up to them in the playoff chase. They’ll need to hold onto third-period or two-goal leads, or, even better, learn how to climb out of holes. The Sabres were 6-28-2 in games in which they trailed after the second period last season and 7-8-3 in games in which they were tied after the second period. They also gave up 107 goals in the second period and 107 in the third last season, which was 31st and 30th in the NHL, respectively, compared to just 68 goals against in the first period.Harrington: My policy is clear. After getting badly burned in the 2023-24 hype season, I'm never picking these guys again. They're on their own. The odds say they're long overdue for a step-up season to crack this drought, but the fact remains that 2022-23 is the only season they've even gotten to 90 points and you've got to have mid-90s to make it. That said, there's lots in the Sabres' favor this year. There's more depth at forward than they've had in a long time, and Dahlin is a superstar on defense. Elsewhere in the Atlantic, the Bruins should be terrible, while the Maple Leafs and injury-riddled Panthers won't be as good, the Lightning are aging and the Red Wings are mediocre. And it's still hard to believe the Canadiens made the playoffs with 40 wins and a minus-22 goal differential. Why can't the Sabres pass several of those teams? Better get saves.
Does Kevyn Adams last a sixth season as general manager?
Lenzi: This is a cause-and-effect question, especially considering that many expected Adams not to return for a sixth year after the Sabres missed the playoffs in 2024-25. If the Sabres make the playoffs, Adams can take his victory lap as the general manager who finally broke the dubious 14-year drought. Then, Adams faces the next question: How does he steer this organization to back-to-back playoff berths? If the Sabres don’t make the playoffs – or if they drop 5-10 losses in a row or fall into a drought before Christmas, then prepare to get acquainted with a new general manager.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams watches prospects during a recent practice in LECOM Harborcenter.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Harrington: We know Terry Pegula has been doing everything in his power to not give Adams the hook. The trust factor is abnormally high from Pegula, given this GM's lack of accomplishment. This team should be good enough to last to the end of the season and keep Adams in charge. But the specter of senior advisor Jarmo Kekalainen is large. A bad start to the season will have fans howling for a change. And if the team is out of the playoff hunt come March, how can Adams possibly be allowed to run another trade deadline?