Next up in our fantasy hockey team preview series are the Buffalo Sabres; one of the most intriguing and exciting young teams in hockey.
It has been a long time. They are a team on the rise, loaded with young talent and blue-chip prospects. They’re like a fantasy hockey buffet.
It wasn’t long ago the Sabres looked like one of the worst rebuilds in recent memory. It came to a boiling head with the Jack Eichel trade. Which as it turns out appears to be the catalyst in turning the team around. They landed three key pieces in the trade to the Golden Knights. They will all be key contributors to the team’s rise in the Atlantic Division.
The Sabres hype is also due to the unexpected breakout of Tage Thompson. The resurrection of Jeff Skinner, and the unexpected rise of Devon Levi.
There’s a lot to discuss. Let’s get to it.
2023 Buffalo Sabres Fantasy Hockey Preview
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I won’t go as far as some pundits and claim that Tage Thompson is Mario Lemieux-esque. There will only ever be one Mario. There might end up only ever being one Tage Thompson though. What a pleasant surprise he has turned into. Traded to Buffalo in 2019 for Ryan O’Reilly, it took Thompson a long time to click.
Oh, but when it clicked, it clicked. No one saw this explosion coming. It is not like he arrived in the NHL with a full head of steam. He had 14 points in 38 games in 2020-21. He looked like he was good enough to remain with the Sabres, nothing more. Then 2021-2022 arrived and Thompson dropped 38 goals, 68 points in 78 games. In 2022-2023 he erased any concerns that were a fluke. A 47-goal, 94-point season has made him one of the most exciting and attractive fantasy players in the game.
Few players hit their ceiling in year three. There’s every chance Thompson builds on last year. Hitting 50 goals and passing 100 points should surprise no one.
The excitement doesn’t end there. Dylan Cozens had an incredible second year with 68 points in 81 games. Now sitting at 201 career games played, there is every chance Cozens smashes that point total. A repeat of 2022-2023 should be a comfortable expectation as his floor. He could end up right around 90 points if he capitalizes on his 200-game breakout threshold. Alex Tuch sits in very much the same boat. At 379 career games and 6’4″, there’s a very real possibility that he builds on his 36-goal, 79-point career highs.
Then there is Jeff Skinner. Two short years ago, his $9,000,000 cap hit looked like an anchor. He turned it around about the same time the Sabres did. Let’s be real though, he’s still not worth what he is being paid. With his turnaround, at least it doesn’t make any of the worst contracts in the league lists anymore. With 33 and 35 goals in the last two seasons, he appears to have found his scoring tough. There’s every reason to expect Skinner to give another 30-plus goals and end up around 70 points.
We still haven’t discussed Casey Mittelstadt, Peyton Krebs, or Jack Quinn. Mittelstadt had 31 points in his final 33 games to end the season. He appears to have arrived. Krebs had a decent first full year in the NHL, with 26 points. He looks like he is going to develop into a solid player. Then there’s Jack Quinn, a natural goal scorer. It might be another year before Quinn hits as a fantasy option but keep a close watch. The Sabres appear to be hitting on every prospect. Quinn shows all the signs of being another home run.
Wait, there’s more. J.J. Peterka has jumped up the prospect chart and into the Sabres lineup. He is going to create real internal competition for ice time. I haven’t even mentioned Victor Olafsson and his 28-goal season.
The biggest problem for the Sabres is ice time. Waiting in the wings are several blue-chip prospects Zachary Benson, Jiri Kulich, and Matthew Savoie. We can even toss in Noah Ostlund.
Sabres fans and fantasy owners are salivating over the future.
Sabres Defense
Oh boy! The fun doesn’t end with forwards. The Sabres have an emerging two-headed monster on defense. Rasmus Dahlin, touted as a ‘generational talent,’ in his draft year, really hit his stride. At 23, he went off for 73 points. You get the feeling he has a lot more to give than 73 points. That in and of itself seems absurd to type. Yet, there’s little reason to suspect he isn’t capable of more. We’re in for several years of over a point per game production. I expect him to take another step this year.
The second head of the monster was Owen Power. When he played in the World Junior Championships it wasn’t fair. It looked like Team Canada put Drew Doughty in disguise. He was far above any other player on the ice, and it showed. Then he played for Team Canada at the World Championships, at 18, against men. By the end of the tournament, he was leading the team in ice time. Drew Doughty seems like a good comparison. He’s going to eat huge minutes his entire career and be an offensive threat. He should become a perennial 50-point producer.
After Power and Dahlin, the blue line offense falls off the map. If you’re desperate for hits and blocks, Connor Clifton and Mattias Samuelsson are strong options.
Sabres Goalies
If the Sabres have a weakness in 2023-2024, this is it. For a team expected to make a playoff push, it is surprising they haven’t acquired a veteran goalie.
Don’t get me wrong, Devon Levi looks great. Do the Sabres want to put the weight of being an NHL number one goalie on a rookie? The list of 6’0″ starting goalies in the NHL is a very short one. Other than Juuse Saros, is there another? That alone is a big hurdle for Levi to climb.
Last year, Eric Comrie had every chance to grab a foothold on the starting job. I don’t have much confidence in him as a backup goalie either.
Then there’s Ukko-Pekka Luukonen. He could very well end training camp as the starting goalie. He is loaded with talent. It just hasn’t translated onto the ice.
If the Sabres are seriously thinking of playoffs, they should trade for a goalie. There’s loads of potential but placing the season in their untested hands could be too much.
In summary: Tage Thompson is a legitimate first two to three-round pick. Dahlin should be one of the first five defensemen drafted. Cozens is a solid mid-round option. There’s no shortage of mid-to-late round options in the Sabres’ top nine. Drafting a Sabres goalie is your one real risk. There are no guarantees with any available option.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it and found this useful as you prep for your draft.
Follow me on Twitter @doylelb4; where you’ll find as many hiking musings as you will fantasy hockey.
Make sure to check out all of our Fantasy Hockey Team Previews as they roll out over the coming weeks!