The Buffalo Sabres move closer to the prospects challenge and training camp, which means people have questions about the state of the franchise, the state of the roster and even the state of contract negotiations for one of the team’s foundational players.
The number of questions that trickled in after the initial mailbag came as a pleasant surprise and facilitated the need for another mailbag – a set of questions and answers that mark the unofficial end of summer.
Anthony Romano asks: Why did it take so long for this team last year to learn Lindy Ruff’s system?
Lenzi: Because as much as people say they’re ready for change, they’re also inherently resistant to it, or the possibility of being changed. That’s not a knock on the Sabres or their players, but something that has been studied on scientific, psychological and organizational levels.
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Sabres coach Lindy Ruff directs the team against the Bruins on April 6.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Ruff also didn’t have a good chunk of time to implement his own philosophies under the proverbial and physical roofs of training camp in Buffalo. The Sabres began training camp Sept. 18, then traveled to Europe in a matter of days, to prepare to open the 2024-25 season against New Jersey in Prague. That’s a lot of logistics to juggle, from Ruff’s standpoint, from a player’s standpoint and from an organizational standpoint. Now, in NFL parlance, throw in a four-inch-thick playbook of entirely new concepts to learn, and there’s a lot to manage and absorb.
The Sabres went 9-4-1 in their last 14 games to climb out of last place and finish seventh in the Atlantic Division. They showed cohesion. They got strong goaltending from James Reimer. They offered some – dare I say it? – optimism for this season.
In covering college football for 15 years, I gave coaches a three-year window to prove, perform and produce. Ruff is on Year 2 of his second Sabres Era.
Drew Shapiro asks: What do you think the percentages are for the Sabres making the playoffs?
Lenzi: This question is evergreen, as we say in journalism. It has no expiration date. Hindsight offers the best history: The Sabres haven’t made the playoffs in 14 years, so if you go on history alone, that’s a zero percent chance. But is there a chance? Are we saying the Sabres have a chance?
Gambling sites aren’t the end-all, be-all to predict the outcome for any team. Betting lines and odds fluctuate on the basis of available data, money wagered and mathematics. But we’ll look first at how Vegas projects the Sabres’ upcoming season.
DraftKings has the Sabres at plus-280 to make the playoffs this season and has the over-under for points set at 84.5. For a basis of comparison: The Sabres finished with 79 points last season and Montreal earned the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 91 points.
ESPN gives the Sabres 200-1 odds to win the Stanley Cup. By comparison, ESPN gives Pittsburgh (armed with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang) 200-1 odds, Seattle 300-1 odds and Chicago and San Jose 500-1 odds. As far as making the playoffs? Right now, don’t hold your breath when it comes to thinking about springtime hockey at KeyBank Center. Here’s where I hedge: Things could change!
@Monumarkael asks: Why do we think this year could be better than last year?
Lenzi: Because hope is never a bad thing, even after 14 years without playoff hockey in Buffalo. Because other teams have broken a similar dubious streak. Because as Andy Dufresne said in 1994 movie “The Shawshank Redemption”:
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
On second thought … maybe I shouldn’t quote a movie that’s set largely in a rural Maine prison.
Geoff Glista asks: Isak Rosen, what do you think will happen with him? He hasn’t shown much in his call-ups and has to clear waivers to be sent to Rochester. Think some team would want him?
Lenzi: The Sabres have a decision to make about Rosen, who has been productive in the American Hockey League but not impactful in 15 NHL games in the last two seasons. I turn to Sabres beat writer emeritus Lance Lysowski’s knowledge about Rosen to make an evaluation. He wrote during the AHL playoffs in May that the former first-round pick wasn’t used properly or in the right role in his short stint with the Sabres. He was put on the Sabres’ fourth line and could have benefited from being on a line with playmakers, rather than the players who do the dirty work. (No disrespect to the grinders, either – they’re the unsung and necessary heroes of hockey.)
Looking at the Sabres forwards about three weeks ahead of training camp, Rosen has a tough row to make it among those top four lines. A trade to a team that needs a young forward who needs a change of scenery would benefit Rosen.
@Lazytown716 asks: Do you think a Tuch extension gets done before the season?
@PeteMorris13 asks: Will the Sabres be able to extend Alex Tuch? What does it say to his teammates if they don’t?
Sabres right winger Alex Tuch skates against the Philadelphia Flyers during a game at KeyBank Center on April 17.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Lenzi: No, because Alex Tuch holds the advantage. He has multiple options: Continue to negotiate a new contract with the Sabres and gauge market value as the season progresses. Let his contract expire and let him become a sought-after free agent. Ask to be moved to a contender at the trade deadline in March.
The Sabres have one option: Sign Tuch, one of their core players, to a sensible deal. Given the salary cap ceiling will increase from $95.5 million in 2025-26 to $104 million in 2026-27, then to $113.5 million in 2027-28, the Sabres also have more money to work with in an attempt to keep Tuch.
As for Tuch’s teammates? It’s common knowledge that contract negotiations are part of the business – and not the personal – that is the NHL.
@NoContextBuf asks: Will the food at Sabres games be better?
Lenzi: In the few Sabres games I attended while covering college sports for seven years, I usually went for arena staples: popcorn and a beer. In the few times I ordered food at KeyBank Center, there wasn’t much memorable about it, though I have yet to try the Dominator, the behemoth four-patty bacon cheeseburger shoveled between grilled cheese sandwiches.
Delaware North traditionally unveils its in-arena food offerings closer to the start of the season, so we should have a more robust report on the KeyBank eats by then.
Thank you for all the questions! Future mailbag questions can be submitted via X to @rachelmlenzi or by email, to rlenzi@buffnews.com.
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