The Buffalo Sabres have reached the highest level of hockey ignominity with their playoff drought extending to 14 seasons, but after strong statements regarding potential organizational changes last month at their season-ending press conferences, there have been only rumors of possible managerial and coaching shakeups. As for the roster, the goaltending and blueline situations are in flux, with questions of whether either Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Devon Levi can be a difference-making #1 goalie, and if the blueline can be upgraded if RFA Bowen Byram is traded. Up front, the Sabres bounced back slightly from an offensive downturn in 2024, but still have not matched the production (293 goals) that saw them come to within one point of making the postseason. Other Sabres Stories Is Peterka In Prime Position For Big Payday? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/is-peterka-in-prime-position-for-big-payday] Sabres Summer Dilemmas - Bowen Byram [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-summer-dilemmas-bowen-byram] Sabres Facing An Off-Season Of Change [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-facing-an-off-season-of-change] The Sabres have over $23 million in available cap space going into the summer, and with the NHL salary cap projected to go up over the next three seasons, owner Terry Pegula may have to spend to the cap to get Buffalo over the top to end their long streak of futility. One area of speculation making the rounds is Buffalo’s potential interest in pending unrestricted free agent Mitch Marner. Marner is coming off a career-best 102-point season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is likely to be leaving his hometown team because of their failure to make a deep playoff run for the entire balance of his nine-year tenure in Blue and White. The Sabres certainly have the cap space to make a competitive offer, and have a supporting cast which would be elevated by one of the NHL’s most gifted playmakers, but the fact that Buffalo is in close proximity to Toronto would not alleviate the pressure on the 27-year-old winger; it would likely increase it. With the Leafs, some of the pressure on Marner was deferred by the presence of the other Core 4 members (Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares). If he signed with Buffalo, Marner would become the central figure on the roster and would be expected to produce every night, as Jack Eichel was after signing his eight-year, $80 million contract in 2017. There are indicators that Marner a) wants to sign in a less pressure-filled hockey market like Carolina, Utah, Anaheim, or Los Angeles, b) wants to be the highest paid player in the NHL and would be willing to go to a rebuilding club like Chicago or San Jose, or c) would choose to be a high-paid support player (à la Phil Kessel in Pittsburgh) with another winning organization like Florida or Vegas. None of those options is a fit with the Sabres. Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo [https://twitter.com/MikeInBuffalo]
