Atlantic Division
·
Est. 1970
Buffalo Sabres
2025–26
·
50–23–9
·
109 pts
·
#1 Atlantic
Atlantic champ · 14yr drought endedGM: Jarmo KekalainenHC: Lindy Ruff
Team xGF%
50.0
% · all situations · HighDanger xG
17th in NHL
Identity
Young and Building
Ascending core
Contention window
Ascending
Atlantic champ · 32-6-2 run
Coach
Ruff
Structure-first system
Avg age · forwards
25.8
Youngest in division
Team Identity
Young and Building · Ascending core
Buffalo ended the longest active playoff drought in NHL history, 14 seasons: swapping GM Kevyn Adams for Jarmo Kekalainen mid-season sparked a 32-6-2 run and a 50-23-9 Atlantic title. Then they backed it up, taking out Boston in the first round for their first series win in a generation before falling to eventual conference finalist Montreal in a tight seven-game second round. This is a young, ascending group (a 26.1 average age, fourth-youngest leaguewide) around Tage Thompson and Norris-contender Rasmus Dahlin. The offseason mixed commitment with a future bet: Zach Benson was locked up seven years at $7.5M through 2033, Bowen Byram was flipped to Chicago for the fourth-overall pick (spent on Daxon Rudolph), and Olen Zellweger arrived from Anaheim. Lindy Ruff's structure-first system sets the tone.
2025-26 team profile · ranked out of 32
50.0%
xGF%
17th of 32
+0.3
xG diff
17th of 32
3.15
xGF / game
16th of 32
3.15
xGA / game
20th of 32
+24
Finishing
2nd of 32
+18
Goaltending
6th of 32
3,533
Unblocked att. for
17th of 32
3,617
Unblocked att. against
23th of 32
All situations, not 5-on-5. Our own xG model.
Player stats · 2025-26
Forwards15
PlayerPosGPGAPShotsTOI/GP2026-27 proj
Tage ThompsonC8140418127219:1581Ryan McLeodC811440549017:3750Josh DoanRW8225275217015:5252Jack QuinnRW8220315119115:3957Jason ZuckerLW6224214512815:3750Zach BensonLW6513304311615:5354Peyton KrebsC821227399313:4634Josh NorrisC441321346915:5061Noah OstlundC601116276013:5837Sam CarrickC7397167510:2817Tanner PearsonLW5678155210:5022Beck MalenstynLW8177147211:1516Tyson KozakC462463011:1717Konsta HeleniusC91341511:5522Justin DanforthRW4000211:4226Defense8
PlayerPosGPGAPShotsTOI/GP2026-27 proj
Rasmus DahlinD7719557419424:1184Mattias SamuelssonD7813284110922:5032Owen PowerD818212912021:3934Logan StanleyD76917269616:4223Louis CrevierD787182511417:0823Olen ZellwegerD767152211916:5927Conor TimminsD390884418:4622Dennis GilbertD8011212:4116Goaltending
Current lineup, last season's numbers, so some were earned with another club. A dash means no games played. At the opener both notes stop applying: the numbers become this team, this season.
Player contracts · 2026-27
Forwards15 · $55.60M
Player
202720282029203020312032203320342035
Cap hit
Signed thru
Josh NorrisC
$7.95M
2031
Zach BensonLW
$7.50M
2033
Tage ThompsonC
$7.14M
2031
Josh DoanRW
$6.95M
2033
Ryan McLeodC
$5.00M
2029
Jason ZuckerLW
$4.75M
2027
Peyton KrebsC
$4.50M
2030
Jack QuinnRW
$3.38M
2027
Beck MalenstynLW
$2.92M
2032
Justin DanforthRW
$1.80M
2027
Sam CarrickC
$1.00M
2027
Konsta HeleniusC
$954K
2028
Noah OstlundC
$887K
2028
Tyson KozakC
$875K
2028
Tanner PearsonLW
–
–
Defense8 · $30.69M
Player
202720282029203020312032203320342035
Cap hit
Signed thru
Rasmus DahlinD
$11.00M
2032
Owen PowerD
$8.35M
2032
Mattias SamuelssonD
$4.29M
2030
Olen ZellwegerD
$3.10M
2029
Conor TimminsD
$2.20M
2027
Louis CrevierD
$900K
2027
Dennis GilbertD
$850K
2027
Logan StanleyD
–
–
Goalies2 · $6.25M
Player
202720282029203020312032203320342035
Cap hit
Signed thru
Ukko-Pekka LuukkonenG
$4.75M
2029
Alex LyonG
$1.50M
2027
Burned cap1 · $6.44M
Player
202720282029203020312032203320342035
Cap hit
Signed thru
25 active-roster contracts, $98.98M committed. Bars run 2027 to 2035, the longest deal in the league, so their lengths are comparable between teams. 10 run only through 2027. Burned cap is money charged for players not in the lineup above: $6.44M across 1. AHL and non-roster deals are off-cap and not shown.
Value for money
Forwards12 · average +1.7 vs pay
Player
belowgoing rateabove
Cap hit
Rating
Vs cap hit
Josh NorrisC
$7.95M
64
+4
Zach BensonLW
$7.50M
62
+3
Tage ThompsonC
$7.14M
73
+14
Josh DoanRW
$6.95M
69
+10
Ryan McLeodC
$5.00M
47
-9
Jason ZuckerLW
$4.75M
57
+2
Peyton KrebsC
$4.50M
54
-1
Jack QuinnRW
$3.38M
51
-1
Beck MalenstynLW
$2.92M
40
-10
Sam CarrickC
$1.00M
44
+5
Noah OstlundCELC
$887K
51
+13
Tyson KozakCELC
$875K
30
-8
Defense6 · average +3.1 vs pay
Player
belowgoing rateabove
Cap hit
Rating
Vs cap hit
Rasmus DahlinD
$11.00M
71
+5
Owen PowerD
$8.35M
57
-6
Mattias SamuelssonD
$4.29M
71
+12
Olen ZellwegerD
$3.10M
63
+8
Conor TimminsD
$2.20M
51
-2
Louis CrevierD
$900K
48
+2
Rating scores each player out of 100 against others at his position, across the three areas we grade: offence, defence, and the rest of his game. Vs cap hit compares that score to what his salary normally buys around the league, so +10 means he plays ten points better than his price tag suggests and -10 means ten points worse. Forwards are only ever measured against forwards and defensemen against defensemen, which is why the two are listed separately: a forward and a defenseman on the same number are not the same player. Green and red mark a gap of more than 10 points either way, which is wider than 7 in 10 players in the league, so most of a normal roster sits grey. Grey means the contract is priced about right, not that the player is unremarkable. Not shown: 2 goalies and 3 skaters without enough NHL games to grade.
Contract breakdown
Slightly aheadA few contracts beating their price.
$19.27Mbeating their price
$60.50Mpriced about right
$2.92Mbelow their price
Forwards+1.7ahead of their pay
Defense+3.1ahead of their pay
Every skater above is compared to what his salary normally buys, then the roster is added up. The bar splits this team's cap money three ways by how those contracts are playing. We show a band rather than a place from 1 to 32 because the order of the middle of the league is too tight to call. Goalies are not included.
Cap situation · 2026-27
Cap committed
$98.98M
of $104.0M
Cap space
$5.02M
Players signed
23/23
roster full
Pending RFAs
0
team-controlled
Cap utilization95%
Lines · cap by group
Forwards14 signed · $55.6M committed
Line 1$22.59M
F1
Line 2$13.12M
F2
Line 3$8.79M
F3
Line 4$8.42M
F4
Defense7 signed · $30.69M committed
Pair 1$15.29M
D1
Pair 2$9.25M
D2
Pair 3$5.3M
D3
Press Box$850K
D
Goalies2 signed · $6.25M committed
Cap Charges$6.44M committed
Cap & contracts FAQ · 2026-27
How much salary cap space do the Buffalo Sabres have in 2026-27?
The Buffalo Sabres have $5.02M in salary cap space for the 2026-27 season, with $98.98M committed against the $104.0M cap (95% utilization).
Who is the highest-paid player on the Buffalo Sabres?
Rasmus Dahlin is the Buffalo Sabres' highest-paid player with a $11.0M cap hit, signed through 2032.
How many players do the Buffalo Sabres have signed for 2026-27?
The Buffalo Sabres have 23 players signed toward the 23-man active roster (roster full).
Who are the Buffalo Sabres' highest-paid players?
The Buffalo Sabres' top cap hits for 2026-27 are Rasmus Dahlin ($11.0M), Owen Power ($8.35M), Josh Norris ($7.95M).
5-year points history
Regular-season points, last five seasons.
Organization strength
Current NHL lineup only, weighted by NHL Equivalency. Bar shows team vs league average (marker at center).
Forwards · 13 of 15
44.0
top Tage Thompson (82.0)
league 43.0 NHLe pts/82
Defense · 7 of 8
32.6
top Rasmus Dahlin (78.8)
league 27.5 NHLe pts/82
Goalies · 2
.909
top Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (0.91)
league .895 SV%
Injury report (0)
via CBS Sports
No injuries reported - offseason (updated in September).
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.
2019–22 Senators
Tkachuk · Stützle · Chabot
74% match
SimilarityYoung talent · rebuild stuck
LessonEventually broke through (2025)
HopePath exists
2016–19 Oilers (early McDavid)
McDavid · Draisaitl · Nurse
70% match
WarningElite talent not enough
LessonDepth + GT matter most
PathTook 7 more years to Final
2013–16 Oilers (pre-McDavid)
Hall · Eberle · RNH
62% match
WarningYoung core without GT
RiskNever broke through
MirrorBuffalo could stall same way
2026 Draft Class
Full board →2 selections in rounds 1-3. Prospect pages; NHL roster spots come as they sign.
Free forever. No credit card.
Make a Free Account and gain
- AI Access
- Fantasy Team Roster Tracked
- Waiver Wire Grader
- Fantasy Team Analytics
- Mock Draft Head-to-Head
- Floor, Ceiling and Health
- Player Watchlist
- Trade Center and Comparisons