The cruelest of endings, a Game 7 overtime loss on home ice, doesn’t erase five months of remarkable progress.
That’s not lost on the Buffalo Sabres, who reflected on the 2025-26 season as they packed up their things Tuesday and Wednesday and headed out for the summer.
“We definitely took a step in the right direction,” captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “We’ve really grown as an organization, as a team, as individuals. It’s a sour taste in my mouth after that loss, but in the big picture, we’ve done some good things this year. We’ve really grown. So, I’m excited for the future, that’s for sure.”
For a while, now, the Sabres have spoken of unwavering confidence in themselves and their ability to become winners. But reflecting on their last-place position in early December - after which they won more games than anyone, snapped the 14-year playoff drought and played deep into the second round - the players admit they didn’t see this coming.
“If someone made that bet, they probably would’ve made a lot of money on it,” said Alex Tuch. “What we did out there, I thought, was really special.”
The Sabres entered the season with a talented group of players. They’d had that for years. A key to righting the ship, as they’ve all discussed, was developing into a team. It started off the ice with 23-plus guys who just enjoy each other’s company. “Share the morning coffee,” one of the guiding slogans of the year, had the guys at the rink early to just hang out before meetings and practices.
A couple minutes in the locker room revealed a lot: t-shirts with guys’ faces, jokes tossed around and, most days, just a bunch of happy faces.
“I think this year, the culture took that next step,” Owen Power said. “You come in every day excited to see the guys, and I don't think there was ever really a dull day with the guys in the group. It was always a blast coming in and just bantering with each other.”
Added 15-year veteran Jason Zucker: “They keep me young, that's for sure, but it makes it fun. You never know what you're gonna get on a daily basis from the likes of (Zach) Benson and the rest of the crew. … I think it became a really close-knit group because of that, and arguably the closest group I've ever been a part of.”
That connectedness carried over the boards. A defenseman pinched down the boards; a forward covered for him at the point. A penalty killer broke his stick; the goalie made a clutch save. An opponent took a cheap shot at Dahlin or whomever else; everyone else charged in, ready to drop the gloves.
“I think everyone in that room takes pride in wearing that crest and puts the team above themselves," said Tage Thompson. "When you do that, usually things fall into place.”
The result? A winning environment, widespread player development – consider the growth of Power, Benson, Noah Ostlund, Josh Doan and countless others – and the organization’s first division title since 2010.
Four dominant months had raised expectations come April, and despite their well-documented lack of experience, the Sabres played like they belonged. They grinded out a physical six-game series over the Bruins, then came one play short in a back-and-forth matchup with the Canadiens. Had Thompson and Benson cashed in on a 2-on-1 rush in overtime of Game 7, they’d be taking on the Hurricanes right now.
“You definitely look back at it, ‘What if that, what if that?’” Benson said. “But at the same time, you learn from it. We know we’re going to be back.”
