3 keys break 2025 – 26 Buffalo Saber’s playoff drought – Hockey writer – Buffalo Perak

The Buffalo Sabres have missed 14 consecutive seasons of the playoffs, not only the longest NHL playoff drought, but also tied with the NFL’s New York Jets for the longest playoff drought in North American sports.

The Sabres enter the 2025-26 season with the goal of ending the playoff drought and having multiple superstars in the roster that you want them to make the playoffs at least until now. The franchise sees their drafts Sam Reinhart (2014) and Jack Eichel (2015), both of whom are ranked second in their respective drafts. They also have players like Linus Ullmark, Evan Rodrigues, Brandon Montour and more.

They also currently have superstars Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin on the roster, as well as one of the two-way forwards of the NHL Alex Tuch. There are many talents who have worked for franchise recently. Is this the season when they finally overcome the hump and make it to the playoffs? If they want to do that, then there are three things they need to break the record playoff drought.

1: Growth/development of young players

Sabres are the second year team in the league, trailing only the Montreal Canadiens. As a result, they have many young talents in the lineup, such as Zach Benson, Jack Quinn, Jiri Kulich and Owen Power, among others. The team not only needs them, but also other young people to take their next steps in their development.

The players watching in their development are newly acquired, and Josh Doan is obtained from Utah Mammoth, which is part of the return in the JJ Peterka deal. We should see Duane’s next step in the offense this season.

Last season on the Mammoth, Doan scored 19 points in 51 games, with few ice time and chances. In the 2023-24 season, he played in the last 11 games of the Arizona Coyotes this season and scored nine points (5 goals and 4 assists). If there is a chance, he will have offensive potential and he will get more opportunities in Buffalo. The team brought him into the defensive end, and he was probably the underrated player entering the season (he was 85% in defense, according to Evolving Hockey.) I believe he could take the next step in the offensive game to help him play well already.

During the offseason, Quinn re-signed for the next two seasons, worth $3.375 million per season. He has finished more than half of the last 50 games last season and he hopes there is more than half of the game this season as he will need to make and show the organization that they need to keep him in their long-term plans. When he was healthy, with his deadly shot and his ability to play, I expect the young winger to have at least 50 points in 2025-26.

Related: Predicting Sabers’ main statistical leader 2025-26

Not only did he show signs of significant improvement at the end of last season, but his analysis throughout the season was solid. According to Moneypuck, he ranked fourth in all the saber forwards with a goal percentage expected on the ice at 53.3%, and CORSI percentage (Corsi%) ranked sixth at 53%. I have a lot of hope for Quinn.

Keep going to Benson, who has all the potential in the world. Defensively, he is one of the elites in the league, ranking 98th percentage point in defense last season, and I hope this season will continue. As for his offensive game, he has stalled in production and he needs production this season. However, his statistics don’t tell the whole story.

Beyond the statistics table, he has a bigger impact on the game and tied with Thompson’s Corsi % of 57%. Benson also ranked fifth among all the team’s forwards, with an expected target of 0.95, ahead of prominent players such as Peterka and Ryan McLeod.

Development from young people is crucial to the team’s playoff hopes, and if they take a step in the game, the Saber will find themselves in the playoffs. The organization takes high risks by relying on internal growth; both Benson and Kulich are expected to play top roles, while Doan and Quinn are expected to enter the third row with McLeod. They are stressed to produce and they will need to do it at night, at night.

2: Goalkeepers need to be better

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will once again be the team’s No. 1 goalkeeper of the season. Last season, his worst season of his career, with a record of 24-24-5, with an average of 3.20 goals and savings percentage (SV%) of .887. The team will need him to perform well this season, i.e. close to his 2023-24 season, when he ranked 2.57 GAA and 0.910 SV% in 55 games.

Ideally, as long as his GAA is below 3.00 and his SV is above .900, the team will have a chance to make the playoffs. But if he has a season similar to 2024-25, you can kiss the playoffs bye. However, the need for goals is not only for him. It also works with backup Alex Lyon, the team signed a two-year free agent contract during the offseason.

Lyon needs to perform well in the game he is asked to play. He was asked to replicate the 2022-23 season, and in 15 games he posted 2.89 GAA and 0.914 SV%, which seemed a bit more. However, it is reasonable to require his GAA below 3.00, while an SV% above .900.

Both goalkeepers need to make the required savings. Neither of them are perfect, so they may have a game that is “lost” without performing, which is part of the game and is just part of the movement. But if they don’t perform, the team may be in trouble, staring at the 15th season.

3: Special teams need improvement

The final key to breaking the playoff drought is to improve special teams. I can’t emphasize this enough: Special teams are as crucial as even play. Since the 2022-23 season, Sabres ranked seventh in the NHL with a speed of 633, second only to Toronto Maple Leafs (648).

But if you’re going to team’s power play and free throw kills, then they’re below average to say the least. Sabers’ Power Play has ranked 18th (19.8%) in the NHL since 2022-23. As for the fines, they rank 22nd (76.5%). Teams need to figure out the special teams because if they continue to struggle this season, it’s hard for me to believe they will make it to the playoffs.

The game can not only be decided by a special team, but also gives the saber room for the wrong place. If the team plays a clean game and both the Saber and their opponents are subject to the least penalties, then they have a greater chance of not winning. But if the game is full of penalties and the team’s special team is not the biggest team, they may lose. This makes it difficult for the saber to get into the rhythm and exert its power: even power.

These are the three biggest keys to helping break the record-breaking playoff drought. It is worth noting that many other variables may affect whether the team enters the playoffs. If the Saber could complete the three-pointers covered here, it would be hard for me to see them miss the playoffs. Is this the season where the saber finally overcomes the hump and breaks the drought?