The NHL’s 2025-26 season is nearly here, and the Buffalo Sabres are being cautiously optimistic about their chances of ending a 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought. You don’t see Sabres GM Kevyn Adams, coach Lindy Ruff or Buffalo’s players making grand pronouncements guaranteeing the Sabres will make the playoffs. Nobody under the Sabres’ umbrella will be handing out dressing room white-board material to their opponents in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division.
However, make no mistake – this is shaping up to be one of the most pressure-packed seasons in Sabres history. From Game 1 of the year through to the point Buffalo either qualifies for or are eliminated from the playoffs, the Sabres’ every move will be under the microscope. Any one particular loss could wind up being the difference between Buffalo making or missing the playoffs.
There’s virtually no room for error with this Sabres group. They have to be consistently competitive, and while we know Buffalo isn’t going 82-0-0 in the standings, the Sabres need to eke out standings points wherever they can. You never know – a playoff spot could come down to one standings point.
This is why Buffalo’s day-in, day-out results will be so fascinating this year in particular. Sabres fans are beyond exhausted cheering on a team that has been almost comically inept in the past decade-and-a-half. They need to see progress out of the gate, or cynical fans will pop up right away decrying the state of this organization.
Lots of teams need a good start right from the first game of the season. The Detroit Red Wings are one of those teams. For different reasons, the New York Rangers are another one of those teams. And for different reasons, the Vancouver Canucks are another one of those teams.
Sabres 2025-26 Player Expectations: Will We See A Major Improvement In Play From New First-Line Winger Benson?
We’ve nearly made it to the start of the NHL’s 2025-26 regular season, and here on THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, we’ve worked our way through our player-by-player series in which we analyze expectations for each Buffalo player this coming year.
But there are degrees of desperation going on in hockey’s top league, and no team has a deeper degree of desperation than the Sabres. Buffalo can’t afford another year of dismay, and the Sabres are going to need every bit of puck luck and grace from the hockey gods if they’re going to avoid being the punchline for jokes for a 15th-consecutive season.
The Sabres can’t avoid it — the pressure is going to be there, day-in and day-out, no matter what goes on. If they do come out strongly, the pressure will be on them to stay consistent in that regard. And of course, if they come out poorly, the vultures will quickly emerge to pick their bones clean.
Sabres 2025-26 Player Expectations: Newcomer D-Man Jones Has Opportunity To Estalish Himself As Everyday NHLer
The NHL’s 2025-26 regular season is nearly here, and here on THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, we’re approaching the end of our player-by-player series in which we break down expectations for each Sabres player this coming season.
Thus, Buffalo has to tackle the pressure in a heads-on manner. Their leadership will be tested, as will their depth. And the Sabres’ response to the particular type of pressure they create for themselves will dictate what their legacy is going to look like.
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