Buffalo Sabres
Built around franchise pillars Tage Thompson and a Norris-contender Rasmus Dahlin, with rising stars Zach Benson and Josh Doan giving the top-six real depth and Owen Power finally settling in on the back end. The mid-season firing of GM Kevyn Adams and arrival of Jarmo Kekalainen flipped the identity to relentless forechecking, responsible defending, and reliable goaltending, sparking a 32-6-2 run that included a franchise-tying 10-game win streak and ranks among the best 40-game stretches in NHL history. Clinching the Atlantic Division title and finishing first in the conference at 50-23 ends the longest playoff drought in NHL history, 14 seasons running, and books a first-round date with the Bruins.
Cap situation · 2026-27
Lines · cap by group
5-year points history
Regular-season points, last five seasons.
Organization strength
Similar historical cores
Closest historical team-seasons by points pace, goals for, and goals against (era-normalized z-score, since 1967–68). Click any card to open a side-by-side compare.
Similar historical cores
Teams with comparable roster construction and competitive window.
2026 Draft Class
Full board →2 selections in rounds 1-3. Prospect pages; NHL roster spots come as they sign.