With how mediocre the rest of the conference has been, the Sabres’ season somehow isn’t completely lost.
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The
Buffalo Sabres started off the second half of their schedule with a dominant, 4-0 win over the
Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. In the process, they were carried by the young players who are part of the core general manager Kevyn Adams has tried to build.
Jack Quinn scored two goals.
Dylan Cozens had one. And
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 35 shots for a shutout.
Seeing those three help carry the team to a win had to have been a welcome sight for Sabres coaches and management. The first half of the season was a slog for the Sabres as they sunk to last place in the Eastern Conference while individuals struggled through long stretches of disappointing play. Cozens and Quinn were at the top of that list. Any hope this team has of climbing out of the basement in the Eastern Conference hinges on players like them stepping up.
With how mediocre the rest of the conference has been, the Sabres’ season somehow isn’t completely lost. But it’s close. The wild-card race is as wide open as it has been in years, but
The Athletic’s playoff model still gives the Sabres just a 5 percent chance at qualifying for the playoffs. That’s tied for the worst odds in the East. As Sabres coach Lindy Ruff told reporters after the win in Ottawa, “We know we’ve dug ourselves a hole, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
Here’s a look at the questions that will define the rest of this season for Buffalo.
1. How much can underperforming players bounce back?
The Sabres have quite a few players who underperformed in the first half of the season. And whether it’s about making a long-shot run at a wild-card spot or simply identifying who’s going to be part of the core beyond this season, those players will be the focus of the remaining 40 games. Cozens’ play has been on the upswing in recent weeks. He’s centering the first line while
Tage Thompson plays through an injury and is on the wing. Playing with two experienced linemates has helped Cozens get back to playing a faster, more direct game.
Quinn showed a similar assertiveness on Thursday in Ottawa with his two goals. He has 11 points in his last 11 games after having just five points in his first 24 games.
JJ Peterka also has 12 points in his last 12 games after going through a scoring slump.
The Sabres mostly know what they’re going to get from
Rasmus Dahlin,
Bowen Byram,
Alex Tuch,
Jason Zucker and Thompson. But it’s the team’s younger players who will need to find consistency if the Sabres are going to be a more competitive team in the second half of the season. You can add
Owen Power to that group, too. Adams has decisions to make about contracts and trades in the coming weeks and months, and the second half of the season will undoubtedly have an impact on those.
2. Will Adams add to the roster?
Despite a
13-game winless streak and numerous injuries, Adams has not added to the Sabres’ roster this season. Despite being in last place, the Sabres aren’t in the position of a traditional seller. Adams isn’t going to be thinking about tearing the roster down. He wants to make the team better if possible. That’s unlikely to mean acquiring a player on an expiring contract given where the Sabres are in the standings. More likely, Adams will look for a player with a bit of term on his deal or at least team control. Will he be able to pull something off? That’s been the question since the summer when Adams carried unused cap space into the season. The type of addition Adams can make will largely depend on what type of player or asset he’s willing to part with. Adams’ track record suggests that we shouldn’t expect a major shake-up to this roster. Will the added urgency of the situation change that?
3. What happens to Zucker?
Zucker has been one of Buffalo’s best players this season. He has a chance to set career highs in both goals and points, has earned a spot on the team’s top line and is leading the Sabres in power-play goals. That’s going to make the soon-to-be 33-year-old winger a commodity at the trade deadline. His performance has also made him a player the Sabres should be interested in keeping around. He’s on a one-year, $5 million contract and may want to spend his next contract playing for a contender. Can the Sabres convince him to sign an extension or will he be shipped out for the best draft pick Adams can get in early March? The same question applies to
Jordan Greenway, who’s currently injured but is also in the last season of his deal. Those are the type of veteran forwards the Sabres need more of, so trading them isn’t an ideal outcome. But if they aren’t willing to re-sign, Adams would be wise to get an asset back while he can. Of course, if the Sabres have somehow improved their playoff odds by that point, maybe that changes the outlook on what to do at the deadline.
4. Can Thompson and Dahlin stay healthy?
The Sabres haven’t often had both Thompson and Dahlin completely healthy this season. Thompson is currently playing through an injury, and Dahlin was doing the same with a back injury early in the season. Those are the two players capable of taking over games for the Sabres. But they need to be fully healthy to hit that level consistently. Thompson will get needed rest during the 4 Nations Tournament, but Dahlin is on Sweden’s roster for that event.
5. If they miss the playoffs, will anything change?
During the summer, team leadership spoke about being in win-now mode and the need to raise the standard. Accountability was the buzzword after Don Granato got fired last spring. If the Sabres continue on their current trajectory and miss the playoffs for a 14th straight season, what change will come of it? So far, owner Terry Pegula has been patient. He
met the team in Montreal and spoke to the team in an effort to reassure them that he wasn’t going to make a reactionary change. Will anything that happens between now and April impact Pegula’s thinking? At the very least, Pegula has given this season a chance to play out.
