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Sabres depth chart reset: Where Buffalo improved and what remains to be done

Theo

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Are the Buffalo Sabres a better team today than they were 12 months ago?

After the first day of free agency, general manager Kevyn Adams confidently declared the Sabres were a “much better” team than they were a few days ago, but that was inevitable because the Sabres had vacancies to fill.

The real question fans should be asking is whether the Sabres have made substantial progress under Adams. Has he made them a better team over the last two years as their competitive window opened? How much has this offseason improved the team?

Here are the NHL talents who came to Buffalo this week:

• Defender Dennis Gilbert, one year, $825,000
• Defender Jacob Bryson, one year, $900,000
• Forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel, one year, $1.5 million
• Forward Sam Lafferty, two years, $2 million per year
• Forward Jason Zucker, one year, $5 million
• Goalie James Reimer, one year, $1 million

The signings were all low-risk deals, with only Lafferty getting a two-year deal. None of these moves will hurt Buffalo’s long-term salary cap prospects. The Sabres avoided big mistakes on July 1, and that’s half the battle in free agency. But the lack of risk also leaves a lingering question about the upside of these moves. Add in the trade deadline addition of Bowen Byram, and that’s the additions Buffalo has made since the start of last season. As a reminder, here are the players who have left Buffalo since the start of last season:

• Center Casey Mittelstadt (traded to Colorado)
• Winger Kyle Okposo (traded to Florida)
• Defenseman Erik Johnson (traded to Philadelphia)
• Winger Victor Olofsson (Vegas)
• Winger Zemgus Girgensons (Tampa Bay)
• Winger Jeff Skinner (Edmonton)
• Tyson Jost Center (Carolina)
• Winger Eric Robinson (Caroline)
• Goalkeeper Eric Comrie (Winnipeg)

With that in mind, here is the current estimated depth chart:

JJ Peterka – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Zach Benson – Peyton Krebs – Jordan Greenway
Beck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Bonus: Lukas Rousek

Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Henri Jokiharju
Mattias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton
Bonus: Jacob Bryson – Dennis Gilbert

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi

And here, for comparison, is the lineup for last season’s opening night:

Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
JJ Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Victor Olofsson
Jordan Greenway – Casey Mittelstadt – Zach Benson
Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Kyle Okposo

Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Henri Jokiharju
Erik Johnson – Connor Clifton

Devon Levi – Eric Comrie

Extras: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Tyson Jost and Jacob Bryson
Injured: Jack Quinn

Where have the Sabres improved?

Physical/competitiveness: Buffalo’s fourth line is definitely a more physical group than it was a season ago. Last season, Girgensons, Krebs and Okposo combined for 204 hits. Malenstyn, Lafferty and Aube-Kubel combined for 542. Those three also play fast and direct, attributes the Sabres have been looking for. Zucker also had a career-high 197 hits two seasons ago, so that’s something he can bring to the table as well. This will be a much stronger team on the forecheck than it was a season ago. Gilbert brings some of that edge to the blue line after averaging just under two hits per game for the Calgary Flames the last two seasons in a limited role.

Speed: Not only are the fourth-line players the Sabres added willing and able to hit, they’re also all fast skaters. This will be a noticeably faster team than the one Buffalo put on the ice last season. According to NHL Edge data compiled by JFresh, Aube-Kubel, Lafferty and Malenstyn all rank in the top 50 in terms of 20-mph bursts per 60 minutes. The Sabres want to play faster under Lindy Ruff and have acquired players who can help them do that.

Flexibility of composition: One of the themes that emerged after the season was that the players felt they needed more responsibility. That was used to justify a coaching change. It seemed like a convenient explanation, considering Don Granato demoted Skinner and left Olofsson out, two players who weren’t at their best away from the puck. The real problem was that there wasn’t enough internal competition within the roster. It’s hard to bench players when there aren’t other capable players ready to take their place.

It started last summer, when Adams didn’t add a single forward from outside the organization. No players were added during pro tryouts during training camp. The Sabres ran the same group that had 91 points the year before and didn’t try to upgrade, even after Quinn was injured during summer training.

The Sabres now have at least a few experienced players who can create natural competition in camp and throughout the season in practice. That allows Ruff more flexibility in his lineup.

“You’ve got some high-level skills that we think we can play against anybody in the league skill-wise, and now we’ve got some physicality, some of it competing with some more veteran players that I think really gives Lindy the ability to shake things up a little bit,” Adams said.

In what areas have the Sabres not improved?

Rating: Skinner has been a top-tier point producer in recent years in Buffalo, but he’s declined significantly coming into the 2023-24 season. Still, replacing his production in the lineup with another 32-year-old in Zucker might not be enough. As constructed, the Sabres are counting on bounce-back seasons from Thompson, Tuch, Cozens, Krebs and Quinn as well as continued improvement from players like Peterka and Benson. Perhaps a prospect like Matt Savoie or Jiri Kulich could emerge and bring more hitting power to this roster. As it stands, though, the Sabres haven’t become a more talented team this offseason. The assumption that they already have enough talent isn’t rooted in last season’s production.

Third center: Trading Mittelstadt at the deadline for a top-tier defenseman like Byram was a good move. But the Sabres haven’t replaced him as a third-line center yet, unless Lafferty is named to that role. The Sabres are putting their faith in Krebs, who scored four goals last season while bouncing between the third and fourth lines.

“I think he’s shown a lot of signs over the last year that he’s starting to understand the defensive side of the game,” Adams said. “He’s a very, very competitive kid who’s getting better and better in a lot of different areas. He’s got great vision. He’s got offensive skills. We know that from his track record before we traded him, and now he’s going to find his groove. I think he has a chance, an upside to be a player that can play higher up the roster, whether it’s a center, which we think he is, or maybe he could eventually slide to the wing? Yeah, we’re open to that.”

It’s not a guarantee from Adams, but it’s another sign of support for a player who has yet to reach his NHL potential. There aren’t many other options in the organization, either, unless a prospect makes the jump to the NHL. Kulich would be the most likely candidate because Savoie appears to have a future on the wing. Lafferty and Krebs seem well-suited to be bottom-six centers without any other additions.

Power play: The only addition the Sabres have made that could potentially impact their power play is Zucker. Over the past two seasons, Zucker has 19 power-play points, so he won’t be a transformative presence. But Ruff wants the Sabres to score goals in a variety of ways, including getting to the front of the net. And Zucker brings that mentality to a team that desperately needs it. Will Zucker and a coaching change be enough to get the Sabres’ power play back to where it was in 2022-23?

Where did the Sabres stay the same?

Defense: The Sabres added Gilbert, a local product who hopes to add some muscle to Buffalo’s blue line. He’s a nice depth piece, but the Sabres are counting on the internal development of Power and Byram, as well as Samuelsson getting healthier, as drivers for an improved defense in 2024-25. Ruff’s implementation of a better overall team structure in the defensive zone should also help. There’s also a case for another trade here. Jokiharju is still unsigned, so maybe the Sabres could add another piece.

What remains to be done?

The Sabres have just under $19 million under the cap before signing restricted free agents Luukkonen, Krebs, Jokiharju and Malenstyn. By setting aside $10 million to $11 million for those contracts, the Sabres still have about $8 million under the cap to add to their roster. That’s about what the team saved by acquiring Skinner. That could be enough to make another move for a top-six forward or a third-line center. Maybe both. But the options on the free-agent market are starting to dry up.

(Photo of Rasmus Dahlin, Devon Levi and Sam Lafferty: Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

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