The Buffalo Sabres took a step back after barely missing the playoffs in 2023, finishing seven points out of the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot with a 39-37-6 record (84 points). The regression cost head coach Don Granato his job and put more pressure on GM Kevyn Adams to snap the league’s longest playoff drought of 13 seasons.
Adams brought back veteran head coach Lindy Ruff to stress accountability and has made trades and free agent signings to remedy the Sabres depth and defensive issues, but the question now is whether they are as good or better than their competition in the Eastern Conference.
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The Tampa Bay Lightning weathered the early-season absence of goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to make the playoffs for the seventh straight season, but after making the Stanley Cup Final three straight times (and winning twice), John Cooper’s crew bowed out in the first round for the second straight year. GM Julien Brisebois faced his annual cap crunch going into the summer, and after re-acquiring veteran blueliner Ryan McDonagh from Nashville and signing free agent Jake Guentzel, he sent Mikhail Sergachev to Utah for JJ Moser and prospect Conor Geekie, traded winger Tanner Jeannot to Los Angeles, and most importantly lost team captain Steven Stamkos in free agency.
Forwards
The Lightning finished fifth in NHL scoring with 291 goals (45 more than Buffalo) last season, with All-Stars Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point scoring over 40 goals. The hope is that former Penguin Guentzel can replace Stamkos’ output. Tampa Bay is essentially a two-line team, with Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, and Nick Paul making up the top six. Their bottom-six is a hodge-podge of inexpensive veterans, such as former Flyer Cam Atkinson, and former Sabres Conor Sheary and Zemgus Girgensons.
The additions of Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker, Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel give Buffalo a better third-and-fourth line, but Tampa Bay has fewer question marks in the top-six, which gives them a slight edge over the Sabres.
Defense
Victor Hedman is still one of the best defensemen in the NHL at 33 years old after scoring 76 points last season. McDonagh at 35 is an excellent defender, with Erik Cernak providing size and physicality, but the depth on defense has declined with the departure of Sergachev, who was injured for over half the season. Moser averaged 28 points in the last two seasons with Arizona, while Nick Perbix and