The Buffalo Sabres brought the hockey bug back to the city this past season, going on a legendary run to win the Atlantic Division and break their playoff drought. It ended in heartbreak in seven games to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, but the future looked bright in Buffalo as the season ended. 

Unfortunately, they will have to figure out the loss of Alex Tuch. The two-way forward had a tough playoffs, which played a massive part in their loss to the Canadiens, but his 33 goals and 66 regular season points will be tough to replace if the team is looking to win the Atlantic Division again. 

Let's take a look at a couple of future bets for last year's Cinderella team, as we project whether the Sabres' slipper will still fit in 2026-27. 

Hockey is a difficult sport to predict, so please gamble responsibly. Betting lines are from Fanduel Sportsbook and is subject to change. 

Tuch's playoff struggles might lead some people to minimize the impact his loss will have on the Sabres. The one player who may miss the two-way winger the most is Tage Thompson, who played half of his minutes this past season with Tuch, and the difference in his output with and without him was glaring. 

Thompson and Tuch had a 51.3% Corsi at five-on-five, and they outscored their opponents 35-23. Without Tuch, Thompson's Corsi dropped to 49.3%, and he lost 31-24 against his matchups. If Lindy Ruff is unable to find a linemate for Thompson early in the 2026-27 season, he could fall behind the pace that will get him to another 40-goal season. 

The big center has two 40-goal seasons in his career. Last year, it came from plenty of help from Tuch, only six powerplay goals, and he barely hit the mark with 41. The first time he did it in 2022-23, it came from 20 powerplay goals, which I don't foresee happening again this season. 

Sabres fans are going to hate to see this prediction, but it might be a bit of a letdown for Buffalo this season. Last year featured an unbelievable run after the firing of Kevyn Adams to get the first seed in the Atlantic Division, but it was a rare off-year for that group in 2025-26. With the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs likely stepping back up to contention this season, and the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning not going anywhere, it's hard to predict where the Sabres finish. 

The two questions in the Atlantic are going to be the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators, who the Sabres could be fighting with for the fifth spot in the division. The Bruins got better since last season, but will it get them to a point where they finish better than the Sabres? They were just nine points worse in 2025-26. 

The Senators also lost Brady Tkachuk, but with the way that relationship had gone by the end of last season, it could be a positive for Ottawa. They finished 10 points behind Buffalo and may not be able to bridge that gap, but they are going to be one of the more interesting teams in the league as the season starts. 

If the Maple Leafs and Panthers do re-enter the top four of the Atlantic, that would leave the Sabres vying with the Bruins and Senators for the second wild card, and that is only if there aren't four good teams in the Metropolitan Division. The oddsmakers have it more likely than not that Buffalo misses out, and I'd be inclined to agree here.