Do the overrated Sabres make the playoffs next year?

[JP51]

21 hours ago, Nacho Libre said:

A team taking a step back after taking their big step forward is actually quite common. Nothing guaranteed, but I suspect we may be an anomaly on that front, fittingly so after being an anomaly in terms of finally making it. With Jarmo here from the start, I really don’t see the players willing to let their playoff positioning slip away 

To me this is exactly right... they are going to have to utilize more youth as the cap is going to be a problem... not totally a bad thing... but I think they make it... I think they win a series and exit again in RD two. 

[That Aud Smell]

I had to go with "Atlanta Thrashers" as my vote.

Explanation: Butternut squash.

[That Aud Smell]

21 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

By what I see (which may not count for much) but also by the stats, they were the same team in terms of team defense in front of the goalies as they were last year, maybe slightly worse even, just with a LOT better performance by those goalies.

This was my sense of things for the latter half of the past season. And I think the numbers you found bear that out.

Getting good/very good goaltending is a dark art. Black magic.

Which is why I really want to see Jarmo do some things to improve the roster.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

On 5/30/2026 at 1:49 PM, TageMVP said:

Do the overrated Sabres make the playoffs next year?

[...]

7 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Nope I'm on the correct message board. My posts are directly related to the Sabres.

I just see the team for what it is, a team that needs to get a lot better in front of the goaltender.  If they roll back most of the same team, sign Tuch to a big deal and play him big minutes (limiting the minutes of the younger guys), then the results next year will be no better than they were this year, and likely worse.  I want more than that from this team.

They were a slightly to moderately (at most) improved team in front of the goalies this year compared to last...that happened to get MUCH better goaltending.  If one knows hockey, you don't need spreadsheets to see that.

I kind of regret coming at you so hard in my response. My bad for posting in bed while I can't sleep.

I don't necessarily disagree with the theme of your message, just your positioning of the Sabres's situation.

@JohnC has reliably voiced my opposition to what you're saying.

To me, the eye test said the goalies were - finally - performing as expected. That could be a Sabres' fan perspective given that, historically, our good teams did indeed have good goaltending. However, and I think this has been noted already, teams like Minny, Colorado, and Boston, which are top 5 in goalie reliance, and Tampa, which I think was 9th, all relied on their goalies to "bail them out".

Goalies "bailing out" successful teams is the norm. While not always, it is true at least for 50% of all successful teams.

Anyway, in the end, I saw the Sabres goal-tending as finally being where it's supposed to be given the system the team plays. And they did so not being elite individually.

The second change, and, I think equally important, was offensive production/potency, which the eye test verified.

For that to happen, and the wins to pile up as they did, team defense, despite the numbers, had to have improved. The tell here is the sustained level of success from December forward - which, of course, we could all "see".

To me, team defense passed the eye test as well. Especially once they were protecting leads in third periods.

The positioning I get from what you're writing is that the team is near inept at defense and that there's a major regression ready to occur unless Jarmo can acquire Hellebuyck, Thomas, and Makar.

I don't buy that. That's not to say I think Jarmo should do nothing, that would be ridiculous. But I don't think the Sabres players who Jarmo winds up keeping, as a group, have yet to fully realize their potential. That's not wishful or pie-in-the-sky thinking, it's realistic since most of them had never experienced the level of NHL competition that they did in these playoffs.

When looking at players to add, what characteristic holds value? Playoff experience. Well, now, the Sabres from 2025-2026 have a good dose of that.

 

 

Edited June 1 by ...
there's always a typo or something in these long posts

[TageMVP]

12 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Now first, who says I want to be re-hired?

But, the right moves are to get more playoff guys on the roster but there's too many variations to be specific. A true 1C is obviously a huge one that could put us right in contention. The Robert Thomas type thing. Another option would be a star goalie so we move to the Helleybuck conversation. Nobody can predict the right moves in advance, but he's paid the big bucks to make them. 

So for argument, 

Let Tuch walk (too expensive for his age)

Lock up Benson like Doan.

I'd still like to explore Byram for Michkov (as the main pieces) but you can sign Byram to term as well. Make the decision now though and not when his contract expires. Him I don't want to see walk for nothing. 

Then you move to the trades as above or others. 

I do think in time Helenius will be a top center and you will see a good line of Benson-Helenius-Thompson but I don't want to wait and have other things change or age etc. while you wait.

But actual trades are impossible to talk about since we're not on the phone calls, he is. 

Now do I think they can screw it up? Sure they can. Bad trades happen all the time. Philly fans are still complaining about Fletcher paying Arizona to take Gostisbhere who now might win a cup with Carolina while Philly is looking for a PP QB. Leaf fans still want to know how they lost Minten and currently need a 2C. Bad trades are frequent and you never know. Maybe his mistake will just be believing in UPL and Lyon and UPL loses his mojo and Lyon goes back to playing at his worst at the same time while Ellis is nothing and Levi starts in Edmonton. Goalies are weird and a mistake there can sink a ship fast. Anything can happen.

Didn't read after the first sentence 

You're rehired anyway, whether you like it or not 

I read the whole thing. Im firmly on the Byram train. If any defenseman gets traded it better be Power. Although, and I cant stand saying it, sigh, Power was a bit better defensively overall in the playoffs. Every defenseman deserves blame for leaving Montreal guys open point blank, though. Moving on, he did, cough, make the smart play more often and used basic instincts and fundamentals as a defenseman should (getting in an attacking players way, not allowing them to advance along the boards) but id still trade him. Him being picked no. 1 overall I just cant get over. Plus i think he could get a blockbuster deal completed (Robert Thomas) 

Jarmos a gambler and I like that. Gotta see some moves soon. No Adams BS "our team will improve on its own" better come out of his mouth 

[PerreaultForever]

4 hours ago, TageMVP said:

Didn't read after the first sentence 

You're rehired anyway, whether you like it or not 

I read the whole thing. Im firmly on the Byram train. If any defenseman gets traded it better be Power. Although, and I cant stand saying it, sigh, Power was a bit better defensively overall in the playoffs. Every defenseman deserves blame for leaving Montreal guys open point blank, though. Moving on, he did, cough, make the smart play more often and used basic instincts and fundamentals as a defenseman should (getting in an attacking players way, not allowing them to advance along the boards) but id still trade him. Him being picked no. 1 overall I just cant get over. Plus i think he could get a blockbuster deal completed (Robert Thomas) 

Jarmos a gambler and I like that. Gotta see some moves soon. No Adams BS "our team will improve on its own" better come out of his mouth 

 

He is a gambler, and thus he can lose his shirt or get lucky. It can go either way and it can go fast.

As for Power/Byram I would say I think Power still has ceiling and Byram is currently peak Byram and is approaching a pay day. For that reason Byram as a trade chip (of the two) might be the better gamble. 

But that's why you can't predict things now cause there's domino effects. Right now I'd be looking to trade Kesselring. But if you move Byram/Power now you might want to keep Kesselring. All of these things are connected and one might hinge on another. 

In the simplest terms we need a top 6 forward, preferably a 1C, a stay at home D man unless you really think Metsa can fill that bill, and maybe a goalie upgrade (which I doubt we get). I'd personally also like to see a Krebs/McLeod upgrade so we can build a proper checking line. Montreal went up a fair bit for example by adding Danault. That sort of move.