The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are under way, and teams eliminated from contention are already eyeing the summer. According to the story, the Buffalo Sabres were knocked out in Round 2 on May 18 and enter the offseason with about $12.9 million in projected cap space and four draft selections — a first-rounder plus picks in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.
Buffalo’s season swung dramatically after a difficult start. The club was 11-14-4 and ranked 30th overall on Dec. 8; GM Kevyn Adams was dismissed on Dec. 15 and Jarmo Kekalainen took over. The Sabres then ran off 13 wins in 14 games and finished the ensuing 51-game stretch with a .784 points percentage (38-9-4) to capture the Atlantic Division top seed, according to the report.
That surge showed up in the numbers: Buffalo ranked third in the league in offense (3.71 goals per game) and first in defense (2.61 goals against). The tandem of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon rated second and fifth, respectively, in save percentage among goalies with at least 20 starts. Tage Thompson reached the 40-goal mark for a second straight season, Zach Benson posted career highs (13 goals, 43 points), and Mattias Samuelsson drew praise for his two-way play. Bowen Byram, Jack Quinn, Ryan McLeod and Josh Doan also found significant roles. Head coach Lindy Ruff qualified as a Jack Adams Award finalist for guiding the turnaround.
The postseason, however, exposed clear weaknesses. The Sabres finished 21st on the power play at 19.5 percent and endured an 11-game stretch without a man-advantage goal (0-for-39) until Rasmus Dahlin scored in Game 5 of the first-round series against Boston, the report says. Buffalo was 2-5 at home and 5-1 on the road in the postseason, and goaltending became unsettled in the second-round series versus Montreal as Ruff alternated between Lyon and Luukkonen.
According to the article, those results frame Buffalo’s offseason questions. The reported cap room and draft assets will factor into decisions on trades, free-agent signings and the draft as the Sabres plan for 2026-27.
