By: Chris Nosek

The fanbase has no confidence in ownership or management and for good reason. Kevyn Adams alienated fans even further by making excuses and comments about the city lacking palm trees. The Sabres have become the opitome of failure despite having several extremely young talented players in the organization. No one is going to pick the Sabres to make the playoffs until the ownership and management show they can pull off a decent roster move.

Biggest Departure: JJ Peterka, traded to the Utah Mammouth

The 23-year-old forward became a restricted free agent this offseason and was so unhappy with the organization that he refused to sign a new contract. There isn’t a single fan who blames him for not wanting to re-sign with the Sabres, and so the team sent him to Utah via trade. He was third on the team in goals and tied for second in overall points. While moving on from Peterka was never going to be a popular decision with the fan-base, but the trade left fans wanting more.

Biggest Acquisition: Michael Kesselring, acquired via trade from the Utah Mammouth

The left side of the defense, which consisted of Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram, has be solid, however the right side has left a lot to be desired. Last season the trio of Mattias Samuelsson, Connor Clifton, and Henri Jokiharju proved to not be the solution. Hopefully, as the main return in the previously mentioned trade of JJ Paterka, Kesselring will be able to help anchor the new trio for this season. If Kesselring is able to be the top-pairing defenseman the Sabres need, then Jacob Bernard-Docker (acquired in the Dylan Cozens trade) and Mattias Samuelsson can slide into their proper lineup slots.

Best Contract: Rasmus Dahlin, signed as restricted free agent on October 9, 2023

Rasmus Dahlin is only 25 years old and is already considered to be one of the elite, all-around, defensemen in the league. He averages over 23 minutes per night for his career, and has finished in the top 15 in Norris voting in each of the past three seasons. He is a top point producer for the team, despite playing along the blue line, and he continues to improve every year. This past season, his 68 points put him 28 ahead of the teams closest defender (Owen Power). Dahlin also played 86 more minutes than Power while playing in 6 fewer games. Dahlin’s play makes him worth every bit of the $11 million cap hit of his contract, and he’s only in the second season of the 8-year contract. Sabres fans only have one question: how much longer will Dahlin be okay with the way the team operates before he too wants out like others before him.

Worst Contract: Jordan Greenway, signed as unrestricted free agent on March 5, 2025

Originally acquired from the Minnesota Wild via trade back on March 3, 2023, Greenway was in the final season of a contract paying him #3 million. He signed a 2-year extension two days after being acquired. Since joining the Sabres, he has played 82 games posting 10 goals, 20 assists, and plays under 15 minutes per night. His production is not the problem given that he plays on the 4th line and solidifies some veteran leadership in the bottom six of the forward group. The reason his contract is so bad is because Kevyn Adams gave him more money on his new deal and he is now $4 million against the cap. Adams has about $5 million remaining in cap space to work with this season so the Greenway contract doesn’t hurt as bad this season. Next off season, however, there are several players who will need new contracts. The list includes; Alex Tuch (unrestricted), Peyton Krebs, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Jiri Kulich, and newly acquired Michael Kesselring. Simply put, Greenway doesn’t produce enough to justify his $4 million cap hit and could become a roadblock to re-sign other, younger, players.

Notes:

We have no idea how good or bad Kevyn Adams really is as a General Manager because owner Terry Pegula insists on being a part of all team decisions. Until Pegula backs off, no fan will have any faith in the organization. Adams has drafted well and brought in some decent talent via trade since taking over as General Manager. Players he’s drafted include; Owen Power, Jack Quinn, Jiri Kulich, and Zach Benson, while he’s also traded for Devon Levi, Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, Bowen Byram, and Josh Norris. There is a lot of potential within the Sabres organization – however, potential doesn’t win games or get you to the playoffs.