Sabres Tage Thompson (72) and Rasmus Dahlin (26) - Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports
The time to win in Western New York starts now.
After a 39-37-6 record in 2023-24, the Sabres believed changes needed to be made to take the next step forward in their quest to their first-ever Stanley Cup Championship.
While the Sabres open up on October 4th and 5th, playing a pair of games against the New Jersey Devils in Prague, Czechia, in the NHL Global Series, let’s see what these three Buffalo Sabres players bring to the game.
Out with the Rebuild and in with a New Head Coach
The Sabres have missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons, but for the last two years, they finally posted back-back over .500 seasons.
Still, the team needed a change to climb up the ladder.
The Blue and Gold brought back an old friend, Lindy Ruff, to be their new head coach.
Ruff coached in Buffalo from 1997 to 2013, and since then, the Sabres have seen a revolving door of head coaches come and go.
The 64-year-old brings accountability to a dynamic young team that needs to end their drought and make a deep playoff run.
During the offseason, the Sabres added more speed, skill, size, and grit to the defensive core through the draft and free agency.
Three Buffalo Sabres to Watch
The Sabres arguably have some of the best young studs on their roster. They also complemented that with some dawgs on the D-line, meaning the size and grit Coach Ruff’s team plays with.
On paper, three of those Sabres are some of the best young players in the Atlantic Division. To compete in this stacked division, offensive stars in the middle of their lineup would help.
Tage Thompson – Center
Starting is “Big” Tage Thompson, who arrived in Buffalo after being dealt to the Sabres in exchange for Ryan O’Riley.
Thompson blossomed in 2022-23, recording his second straight 35+ goal season, but regressed last year.
While he only scored 29 goals, Thompson is on track to tally 30+ again this season. He can also dominate at the faceoff line, using his 6’6″ height to his advantage.
The 26-year-old is a fan favorite and a hard-working, gritty player. The talented center is a player Coach Ruff would love to have on his team.
Dylan Cozens – Center
Next is young two-way center Dylan Cozens. The 23-year-old plays with a chip on his shoulder and has an underrated mentality to his game.
At 6’3″, 195 lbs., he is skilled with the puck and skates very well.
While only collecting 47 points last season, the hard-driving athlete can be a 65+ point scoring guru this season.
Cozens is another Ruff type of player. He’s very tough for his size and isn’t afraid to throw down the gloves and fight quickly.
If anybody watched during the COVID season, Cozens dropped his gloves and quickly punched his way to a win against a bigger, much stronger, tougher player.
This cat is about to become one of the dawgs this season, as he has put on muscle and has worked to get stronger.
Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen – Goalie
There’s no question who the Sabres franchise goalie is, and it’s in three big letters: “UPL.”
The 6’5″ netminder is like a lacrosse goalie on ice, as his tall frame takes up most of the net. He also has quick reflexes for a goalie that tall.
The bottom line is this is the modern-day NHL. It would help if you had big net-minders when you have faster, more skilled forwards and centers.
From the minute the Sabres drafted UPL in 2017, he had the potential to be cut out of the Henrik Lundquist mold. While he has a long way to go to be that great, he’s ideal for the Sabres.
Let’s see how these three guys do with Ruff and how they will adjust to his coaching style.
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