Even After Sabres' Re-Signing Of Defenseman Byram, Has Buffalo Done Enough To Be A Playoff Team?

The Buffalo Sabres ended speculation -- at least, for now -- of star defenseman Bowen Byram's future, signing him Monday to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $6.25-million. But while Byram's status with the Sabres has to be a welcome relief for some Sabres fans who wanted himto stay in Western New York, we have to ask once again -- are the moves we've seen from Buffalo this off-season really all there's going to be in terms of changes to the Sabres' lineup?

Yes, the Sabres acquired young winger Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for talented winger J.J. Peterka, and depth winger Justin Danforth and goalie Alex Lyon were signed in free agency. But is that going to move the needle enough in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division? We have serious doubts about that.

It's true Buffalo's defense corps is now deeper than it was last season, even after trading rugged blueliner Connor Clifton to the Pittsburgh Penguins late last month. But are the Sabres going to defend their way to enough victories to lock up a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference? That may be how Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams sees it, but we're not nearly so sure that's a realistic expectation.

In fairness, the Sabres had the 10th-best offense in the NHL this past season, averaging 3.23 goals-for per-game. But that was with Peterka putting up 27 goals and 68 points. Even if Doan plays well, we don't see the Sabres easily replacing the offense Peterka produced. The Sabres also had the ninth-worst power play in the league last year, and that was with Peterka contributing 18 points with the extra man.

Meanwhile, the Sabres avoided being hamstrung by the injury bug last season. Indeed, out of their top-11 point-producers, all 11 played at least 73 games. What if that changes this coming year? Are Sabres fans supposed to believe there's enough depth in the system to deal with a severe injury or two to key Buffalo players? Again, we have our doubts.

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Finally, even after Byram's new contract, the Sabres have approximately $7.39-million in salary cap space. Some of that will have to go to RFA defenseman Conor Timmins and RFA goalie Devon Levi, but if any team needed to spend to the cap ceiling, it's Buffalo. Whether it's adding a veteran at or near the league-minimum salary, or spending another couple million on a more accomplished forward, you can easily make the case that Adams shouldn't be done making roster moves.

All-in-all, the Sabres' current situation has this writer feeling like Buffalo isn't going to be a playoff team once again this coming year. Stranger things have happened than the Sabres surprising fans and media and knocking a legitimate playoff contender out of the post-season picture. But again, you have to ask yourself -- which Atlantic team is going to be on the outside of the playoff picture in order for Buffalo to get into the post-season? The back-to-back defending Cup-champion Florida Panthers aren't going to be that team. Neither are the Toronto Maple Leafs or Tampa Bay Lightning. And the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens are two young teams still on the rise.

And that's not counting a team like the Detroit Red Wings, which also is desperate for a post-season appearance. So, with that in mind, you can see why we're not at all optimistic about the Sabres' playoff chances in 2025-26.

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Buffalo could've been one of the biggest movers-and-shakers in the league this summer. Instead, they've more-or-less recommitted to the same core of players, and they're expecting different results this coming year. Imagine the fury that will come from Sabres fans if the same pattern persists next year.

Time will tell whether relatively standing pat was the right move by Adams, whose job security is surely on the line this season. But right now, there are many questions about this Sabres team -- and the answers to those questions may leave Buffalo fans severely disappointed for a fifteenth-straight season.