The Sabres will return to regular season action on Oct 12, 2022, at home against the New York Rangers.

This season is one of hope and a step forward towards the playoffs. To give a brief preview of the season, I want to do a five strengths and five weaknesses overview as the season nears.

Five Strengths

1. The Sabres offense has loads of top-end talent and incredible depth, along with some excellent prospects coming into the system, including Jiri Kulich and Zach Benson. Last year, the Sabres ranked third in goals for all season, only behind Edmonton and Boston.
2. The powerplay is another strength. Last season, they were ranked the ninth-best powerplay in the league, ahead of teams like Florida, Boston, New Jersey, and the Stanley Cup Champions the Vegas Golden Knights. With weapons like Tage Thompson and the powerplay specialist Victor Olofsson, this powerplay should only get better this year.
3. Coaching is another excellent strength for the Sabres. Head coach Don Granato has led this team with poise and has gotten a better result from this group year after year. Granato has been a big part of righting the ship after joining a burning boat in the 2020-21 season, from last in 20-21, to 24th in 21-22, and now this year just missing playoffs at 20th in 22-23
4. Leadership is also a strength of the Sabres. Along with the team’s young forwards, they also have a great group of veteran leaders to go along with them. Players include captain Kyle Okposo, forward Zemgus Girgensons, Alex Tuch, and Rasmus Dahlin, who seems primed to become the captain of the Sabres within the next few seasons.
5. The defense is both a strength and a weakness. At the top end are unreal players like Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, although there is a pretty steep drop-off after that. Mattias Samuelsson is an excellent stay-at-home defenseman who is also incredibly reliable on the penalty kill. However, Power and Dahlin will need to be the anchors of this defense.

Five Weaknesses

1. As I said before, the defense is a strength and a weakness. The defense is very, very top-heavy. After Power and Dahlin, it is four reliable players but not very dynamic or game-breaking talents. After Samuelsson and Jokiharju, it is a mix of fringe NHL players and veterans who are bottom-pairing players at best. Many of their forwards could be better defensively, especially Tage Thompson.
2. Goaltending is another weakness. This is controversial because Devon Levi may seem the real deal. However, Levi cannot play all 82 games. Whether it is UPL or Eric Comrie, neither sparks excellent confidence in the net for me. I also prefer to avoid a three-goalie rotation. Someone needs to win that job and do it well if the Sabres look for any success this year.
3. Age is another weakness. This is not due to the ability of young players on the team but rather due to the lack of experience these players have in playoff games and the more physical style of hockey. Especially when you see the teams they’ll be facing off with most of the time – teams like Florida, Tampa, and Boston, who all play with an edge and that playoff style yearlong.
4. Expectations from the fans are another weakness to me. Since April 2023 and the end of the Sabres’ season, all that has been said is how the next season is the year. The year they put everything together and finally made their way into the playoffs. This can get to the players’ heads if things start off hot or even if things start off not so great. The first year, with a genuine expectation of success, could kill this team.
5. Consistency is the final weakness I would have for the Sabres. Last year was a step forward, but they were always very streaky. For example, in October and November, they won three straight heading into the month, then lost eight straight games to start the month of November. Also, in the second half of the season, they would win one or two games to lose three, four, or five games, then just straight. Consistency will be essential if they want to compete for a playoff spot.

The Sabres season rests on the shoulders of the defense and goaltending. Whether they can carry the weight is yet to be seen. We know they can score with the best in the league. Although without a consistent and good defense, Levi can be overwhelmed and drop the ball for the Sabres’ season.

Hope is the word this year, though hope is not a guarantee for success. The Sabres will need to ensure they put in the work to compete with the best. There may be hockey in April for the Queen City.