Why Are the Sabres Struggling? Only Two Players Make The Athletic’s Top-150—What Does It Mean for Their Future?
Buffalo Sabres fans, brace yourselves — another season looms large, and with it, the weight of a 14-year playoff drought that’s as stubborn as it is historic. This summer, the Sabres made a few strategic moves, parting ways with JJ Peterka, their second-leading scorer, to snag winger Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring. Meanwhile, the rest of the roster saw mostly depth tweaks with additions like Justin Danforth, Conor Timmins, and Alex Lyon. So, the big question sitting heavy in the Buffalo air: Can the core guys step up and can internal development finally spring to life? According to The Athletic’s latest ranking of the NHL’s top 150 players, just two Sabres cracked the list — Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson. And while Dahlin earns “franchise player” status for his impressive skill set and leadership, there’s a bittersweet undertone about how the hockey world views him, given the team’s struggles. Thompson, after rebounding from injury, shines as an “all-star player,” but the team’s outlook hangs in this dance between potential and reality. Missing from the limelight are stars like Alex Tuch and Owen Power, leaving fans to wonder about what’s next. Intrigued? Dive deeper into these developments and what they could mean for Buffalo’s resolve this season.
The Buffalo Sabres face the challenge of snapping a NHL-record 14-year playoff drought this season and after a summer in which the club traded away their second-leading scorer in JJ Peterka in exchange for winger Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring and made only depth additions in Justin Danforth, Conor Timmins, and Alex Lyon, the onus will be on internal development and their core players playing up to expectations.
In the Athletic’s tiered rankings of the Top 150 NHL players, the Sabres have just two players in defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and forward Tage Thompson listed.
The 2018 top pick and team captain was listed in the “franchise player” tier after a 68-point season and an impressive performance at the 2025 NHL Four Nations Face-Off, describing him as an all-situations, everything player”, but the critique of Dahlin had little to do with his talent or performance, but his situation with the Sabres, and that he would be more appreciated in the league if he was not on in Buffalo.
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Thompson was listed in the “all-star player” tier after bouncing back from an injury-plagued 2023-24 with a 44-goal performance last season. The main critique of the big forward is at the defensive end of the ice, which is less of a liability when playing the wing.
Notable omissions from the Sabres on the list were winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Owen Power. Tuch, who is entering the final year of his contract, tied a career-high with 36 goals and was invited to the US Olympic Development Camp last month. Power, the top pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, achieved career-highs in goals (7), assists (33) and points (40), but the reason for that is likely the 6’6”, 226 lb. blueliner’s lack of physicality.
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