The Buffalo Sabres have been one of the most disappointing teams in the Eastern Conference this season. And now that we’re at the one-third point of the season, it’s a great time to deliver grades for Buffalo’s GM, coach, and Sabres players. 

We started on the process by grading GM Adams, as well as coach Lindy Ruff, and Buffalo’s goaltenders. And in this file, we’re focusing on Sabres defensemen as a group. Let’s get to it:

Position: Defense

Grade: C- 

The Lowdown: The Sabres’ defense corps was believed to be a strength heading into the season, but that hasn’t turned out to be the case, as Buffalo’s goals-against average of 3.41 is the eighth-worst in the league this year. Now, that’s not all the fault of the Sabres’ group of blueliners, but the combination of offense and defense that Buffalo’s D-men have contributed speaks to a group that is still finding its footing.

Indeed, it all starts with star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, a reliable point-per-game blueliner. But with 17 points in 24 games, Dahlin isn’t producing to the level he’s accustomed to. And Dahlin’s minus-eight plus/minus rating is also problematic. Despite Buffalo’s defensive struggles last season, he still finished the year plus-11. And although plus/minus isn’t always an accurate metric of any given player’s defensive woes, Dahlin’s overall play in his own zone isn’t what Sabres fans were looking to see from him.

Meanwhile, some of Buffalo’s other D-men – specifically, veterans Bowen Byram and Matias Samuelsson – are providing some much-needed offense. Samuelsson already has a career-high five goals this season, eclipsing his previous career-best four goals he set last year. And Samuelsson’s 12 current points is just two behind his career-high 14 points, also set last season. 

As for Byram, he’s got six goals and 13 points this year. That puts him on a pace to easily break his current career-highs of 10 goals and 38 points. But Byram’s defensive play leaves something to be desired, mostly because another Sabres blueliner – Owen Power – has been a major letdown this season. The 23-year-old Power is on pace for just 23 points, a total that would be far and away his lowest career totals in four NHL seasons.

Grading The Sabres At The One-Third Mark Of The Season: The Goalies In our ongoing series, we're grading the Sabres' season at each position. And in this file, we're grading Buffalo's netminders.

Finally, Buffalo’s bottom-pair D-men – Conor Timmins and Michael Kesselring – have been non-factors on offense, and uninspiring forces in their own zone. Injuries have limited Kesselring to only nine games – not what Adams was looking for when he acquired Kesselring as part of the J.J. Peterka trade with the Utah Mammoth this past summer. And Timmins – also an off-season pickup in a swap with the Pittsburgh Penguins – will never be confused for a shutdown defender.

All things considered, the Sabres need much more out of their defensemen than what they’ve delivered to this point this season. The grade we’ve assigned them isn’t a failing grade, but it does reflect the lack of help they’ve given to Buffalo’s netminders this year.

Grading The Sabres At The One-Third Mark Of The Season: Coach Lindy Ruff We're grading Sabres players and staff at the one-third mark of the season, and in this file, it's Sabres coach Lindy Ruff's turn to be judged. And Ruff's grade isn't a good one.

If the Sabres are to end their 14-year playoff drought, they’re going to need Dahlin and Power in particular to get the job done on ‘D’. Because if they can’t improve, Buffalo’s offensive forces won’t be able to supply anywhere close to enough goals-for to make up for it.