Catching up with Josh Doan
Forward Josh Doan is gearing up for his second Sabres season after a 2025-26 breakout: 25 goals, 27 assists, zero games missed, stellar defensive play and, in January, a seven-year contract extension. The 24-year-old is expected to be a staple on the top power play and hopes to become a penalty killer, too.
Doan, who split his summer across Arizona, British Columbia and Buffalo, caught up with Sabres.com to discuss his offseason, life as a new homeowner, the shortened preseason, special teams and more.
How has your contract changed life outside the rink?
“Just settling down, finally getting a house. I think that’s always a big step in life, buying a house and being able to leave your stuff when you come and go, instead of having to pack 800 bags and go home for the summer."
Anything surprise you about the house-buying process?
“A lot of it. The amount of paperwork you’ve got to go through. The timing of everything. How many different processes you have to go through to get the final steps done. But at the same time, it was a pretty easy and swift transaction.”
Did last year’s stretch run and playoffs change your day-to-day approach to hockey, even to start a season?
“I think just the competitive level, how much more you can give at certain moments of a game. … Defending leads is different now. I think that was something we learned as a group: how to manage the puck a little bit better, how to be a little bit more solid in our 200-foot game, rather than just jumping up and giving up odd-man rushes.
“[We learned] how important games have to be played and how you can play those games every night rather than just a couple times a year. I think throughout the year, you’ll definitely start to see us just mature as a unit in those games.”
Does the shortened preseason (Doan’s limited to 2 games) change your approach at all?
“My first year, I think I played seven. … You feel like you’re already in midseason form body-wise, taking hits and stuff like that through seven preseason games. So, I think the two does a good job of allowing you to get your feet wet in the first game and then fine-tune some little things in Game 2. And by the end of Game 2, you’re ready to go.”
Do you set goals for yourself – points, goals, whatever – entering a season?
“There’s going to be stretches where you’re hot and you’re not, and I think when you ask for numbers and put that kind of pressure on yourself, it’s hard. So, my approach is always the same: be the best 200-foot player than I can be.”
Assistant coach Seth Appert discussed his offseason power-play research. What’s your early take on the new approach?
“We’ve got to find ways to create a little bit more havoc around the net front. But at the same time, I think we had really good movement throughout the year 5-on-5, and our numbers analytically in that side of the game were really, really strong, so we want to take our strength from 5-on-5 and apply it to the power play and see what we can do.
“At the end of the day, it’s [four] goals through 82 games that separates 19th from 10th in power-play numbers, so it’s just about capitalizing on those little opportunities.”
