Who Are The Three Most Important Sabres to Getting Back to the Playoffs?

[Porous Five Hole]

Saw an unremarkable article alluding to this and it got me thinking.  Who is it for you and why?

To me, Tage & Dahlin are not question marks.  So I vote UPL, Kesselring, and Norris.
 

While I don’t believe in UPL, he’s plan A in the crease in 2025-26. It is what it is.

Kess is such an upgrade from Clifton/Muel/Henri. Aside from being better than those guys, his impact on Power’s game is being counted upon. No pressure, kid…

To me, Norris was the better player in the Cozens trade. Dylan’s time was up here. But if he only plays 50 games, then the center spine is in big, big trouble.

There are so many guys who could earn honorable mention that it’ll be interesting to hear your thoughts…

[CallawaySabres]

Starting Goalie

Backup Goalie

And Levi

[Taro T]

1.  UPL or whomever wins the goaltending derby.

2.  Seth Appert.  Having a useful PP would do wonders for this team.  His getting his head out of his bippy would be incredible.  Literally.

3.  Marty Wilford.  If somebody could help him figure out what sort of a farm animal HIS head is stuck up; it could be a start towards his extricating said head from said farm animal's bippy.  There'll still be effort required to extract it, but he has to find that melon before he can even plan the extraction process of it.

Listed that one as #3 because it is the least likely to happen.

[DarthEbriate]

41 minutes ago, CallawaySabres said:

Starting Goalie

Backup Goalie

And Levi

This is the way. As a team, tenacity and defensive coverage are the most important efforts. But all is for naught if they get goaltending like last season.

If they get 2023-24 Ullmark, AHL 2025 Levi, and down-the-stretch 22-23 Lyon…. Then yes. Playoffs happen. 

That’s a bunch of If. 

[pi2000]

UPL, Norris and Power

[Ctaeth]

The players that players that could get the sabres back to the playoffs are players that are high variance types.  The type that you honestly dont know what you're going to get season to season.  To me, the three that could massively out perform expectations are quinn, upl, and norris (for injury reason).  You get a good to great season from any or all of these guys... we should be talking about playoffs.  Honorable mention to doan and levi

Edited August 12 by Ctaeth

[Doohickie]

7 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Kess is such an upgrade from Clifton/Muel/Henri.

Is he?

 

 

Sorry if my hopes aren't up.  I hope he is.

[Porous Five Hole]

38 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Is he?

 

 

Sorry if my hopes aren't up.  I hope he is.

I admit that I didn’t watch a ton of Kraken hockey,  but his fancy stats look good and he brings a handedness & mean streak that we haven’t seen out of a top four D.  It’s why I listed him in my top three.  We need that guy to be money.   

[Pimlach]

Tage

Dahlin

A Goalie. 

[pi2000]

Their path to the playoffs... minimum requirements:

1. A goalie emerges as the bona-fide starter and posts a respectable .905 SV% and 2.80 GAA
2. Owen Power becomes a plus player and posts 50 points
3. Josh Norris plays 60 games and post 50 points
4. Quinn, Benson, Kulich combine to score 60g (scored 45 last season)
5. Greenway and Samuelsson play 60 games

[JP51]

1, Goal Levi or UPL

2. Power does he emerge as a dominate 2 pairing with Kesslring

3. Jack Quinn.... does he fill the JJP role

[mjd1001]

Goaltending. Had the sabers got ten the gold tenny from 2 years ago Last year they would have been in the playoffs. 

If I have to pick something besides goaltending... Second would be no major injuries, and third would be luck. 

But after last year I can't say anything else other than goaltending.

 

[Sabres73]

UPL, Norris, Quinn

[French Collection]

Helenius, Mrtka and Ratzlaff. I am half joking but….

There is no sense of urgency from this FO so it just feels like everyone will want out and the next group of prospects will have to turn it around. My hopium prescription has run out, I am on my last bottle.

Guys like Dahlin, Thompson and Tuch are pretty much at their ceilings, the young supporting cast needs to step up.

My three guys are.

Power. Just 10% more grit and take the next step. Be assertive and show your skill.

Quinn. You were as good or better than JJP all the way through development, just do it.

Levi. There is a spot for you if you show up with your A game and force KA’s hand.

 

[SwampD]

On 8/11/2025 at 11:54 PM, Porous Five Hole said:

I admit that I didn’t watch a ton of Kraken hockey,  but his fancy stats look good and he brings a handedness & mean streak that we haven’t seen out of a top four D.  It’s why I listed him in my top three.  We need that guy to be money.   

Not sure how much good that would have done you, anyway, I mean, unless they were playing Utah.

[dudacek]

1) Luukkonnen: This team is 10 points better if he returns to the form he showed two years ago

2) Power: Analytically, the most obvious flaw in the Sabres lineup is how they lost any matchup when Dahlin wasn't on the ice. Swapping Timmins poise for Clifton's juggling hand grenades should help, and Kesselring's competence and physicality should help more. But Power has the skillset to be carrying one of those guys, rather than counting on them to be the boosters. He needs to start earning his paycheque.

3) Norris: Jiri Kulich and Ryan McLeod could be a viable 2/3 centre spine, but no team is going to make the playoffs with them eating all the hard minutes at centre ice. Norris isn't a 1C, but he can certainly hold the fort in ways the other two can't, particularly stapled to an top winger like Tage or Tuch. Getting 75 games of his full potential dramatically improves our depth and playoff chances.

[PerreaultForever]

Well they aren't going to make the playoffs but for me, to improve, the 3 would be:

1) Power developing into what he's paid to be

2) Norris being healthy and playing most of the season (and contributing at his healthy NHL rate)

3) Lindy Ruff actually getting this team to play a hard to play against defensive structure. 

I do not expect any of these 3 things to happen. 

[SABRES 0311]

Dahlin, TT, Tuch, and Byram need to have good seasons or there’s nobody at the helm.

Benson and Quinn need to produce consistently throughout the season….for once.

Kesserling and Norris have to be what we hope they will or we are in trouble at the 1C and 4D positions. Not ideal.

Krebs and Greenway just need to keep doing what the have been doing.

Zucker and McLeod need to produce like they did last year.

So most important IMO: Dahlin, TT, Tuch, Quinn, Kesserling, Greenway.

 

Edited 6 hours ago by SABRES 0311

[spndnchz]

Me!

[JohnC]

15 hours ago, dudacek said:

1) Luukkonnen: This team is 10 points better if he returns to the form he showed two years ago

2) Power: Analytically, the most obvious flaw in the Sabres lineup is how they lost any matchup when Dahlin wasn't on the ice. Swapping Timmins poise for Clifton's juggling hand grenades should help, and Kesselring's competence and physicality should help more. But Power has the skillset to be carrying one of those guys, rather than counting on them to be the boosters. He needs to start earning his paycheque.

3) Norris: Jiri Kulich and Ryan McLeod could be a viable 2/3 centre spine, but no team is going to make the playoffs with them eating all the hard minutes at centre ice. Norris isn't a 1C, but he can certainly hold the fort in ways the other two can't, particularly stapled to an top winger like Tage or Tuch. Getting 75 games of his full potential dramatically improves our depth and playoff chances.

How about moving Tage back to the 1C and Norris to the 2C? A Zucker/Tage/Tuch would make for an experienced and sizeable top line. Or a Benson/Tage/Tuch on the top line? My hope is that Quinn makes the leap forward and earns a role on the second line with Norris centering it. This is going to be an interesting camp to see how the lines get formed. I prefer to see McCleod as a 3C and with the ability to move up the lines when needed. 

I think most people agree with you that UPL's play is the most important issue entering the season.  

[dudacek]

7 minutes ago, JohnC said:

How about moving Tage back to the 1C and Norris to the 2C? A Zucker/Tage/Tuch would make for an experienced and sizeable top line. Or a Benson/Tage/Tuch on the top line? My hope is that Quinn makes the leap forward and earns a role on the second line with Norris centering it. This is going to be an interesting camp to see how the lines get formed. I prefer to see McCleod as a 3C and with the ability to move up the lines when needed. 

I think most people agree with you that UPL's play is the most important issue entering the season.  

I don’t really care about top-loading a 1st line, or a traditional hierarchy, just give me lines that can win their matchups.

[JohnC]

4 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I don’t really care about top-loading a 1st line, or a traditional hierarchy, just give me lines that can win their matchups.

The top line with Tage at center with two experienced and rugged wingers should be able to win their matchups. 

[Thorny]

Dahlin, Tage, Tuch

None of the other players mentioned doing what is mentioned will matter or amount to enough if the guys we expect and need the most from don’t fulfill those higher degree of difficulty roles

[Thorny]

36 minutes ago, JohnC said:

How about moving Tage back to the 1C and Norris to the 2C? A Zucker/Tage/Tuch would make for an experienced and sizeable top line. Or a Benson/Tage/Tuch on the top line? My hope is that Quinn makes the leap forward and earns a role on the second line with Norris centering it. This is going to be an interesting camp to see how the lines get formed. I prefer to see McCleod as a 3C and with the ability to move up the lines when needed. 

I think most people agree with you that UPL's play is the most important issue entering the season.  

Don’t agree on UPL, Adams has incessantly built the roster for 6 years acting as if goalie doesn’t matter so it’s not the area of the roster he’s supplemented with close to the talent required for it to be a key area, for me.

I agree on Tage though. I think he probably ends up back at C - I may be traditional but needing a great 1C has just more often than not always been a thing. Everything shines a tad brighter for me when Tage is there 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

Don’t agree on UPL, Adams has incessantly built the roster for 6 years acting as if goalie doesn’t matter so it’s not the area of the roster he’s supplemented with close to the talent required for it to be a key area, for me.

I agree on Tage though. I think he probably ends up back at C - I may be traditional but needing a great 1C has just more often than not always been a thing. Everything shines a tad brighter for me when Tage is there 

With respect to counting on UPL, I agree with you that the GM is taking a big gamble. Not adequately addressing the most important position has put this team in a vulnerable position. To make things worse, he never has had an adequate backup plan if things didn’t work as he wanted to.

I hope that UPL can re-establish his game. But I can’t say that I’m confident about him.