As the dog days of summer drag on, hockey fans can do nothing but clamor for opening night. For fans of the Buffalo Sabres, there is hope that this will finally be the season that the team gets over the hump and back into the playoff bracket once again.
Ignoring the rumors of a franchise-shifting trade, the focus internally is on the coming season. There are more than a few things that need to happen for the Sabres to succeed, but these three players are going to play the biggest roles of all.
Michael Kesselring, D
The trade that landed Michael Kesselring was not without controversy. While the move was initially met with derision, given how hard it is to find scoring forwards like J.J. Peterka, the move has been gaining momentum within Sabres circles.
Kesselring was a standout for the Utah Hockey Club last season, playing quality top-four minutes in the face of injuries that decimated the defensive corps. Now, he comes to Buffalo with the expectation that he can do the same while finally providing a quality partner for Owen Power.
If Kesselring is everything he’s been billed as, the Sabres could quietly have one of the best top-four defensive units in the league. Team defense has been a major issue for a long time, but Kesselring has the chance to right a lot of wrongs this coming season.
Jack Quinn, RW
There may be no more polarizing figure in the Sabres organization than Jack Quinn. The eighth overall pick in 2020, Quinn has felt like he is right on the cusp of big things. Invariably, injuries intervene and set him back. That said, 2024-25 was a different beast.
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Quinn finished with an abysmal 15 goals and 39 points last season, but there is more to feel good about than meets the eye. After a really bad first third of the season, Quinn showed life as a playmaker and scorer.
Now unquestionably recovered from previous injuries, the hope is that a clean bill of health and a little bit of fire beneath him can see Quinn elevate his game. Many still believe that he has the potential to score 30 goals. Given the offense lost in the Peterka trade, a breakout from Quinn would go a long way toward making up for that loss.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G
It seems like things never line up for the Sabres. The offense takes off, but defense and goaltending struggle. Goaltending shows up, but the power…
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