Full disclosure: the Buffalo Sabres aren't particularly interested in the NHL's individual awards. But who's kidding who -- you always like to perform well, and that's somthing the league de facto acknowledges by handing out end-of-season honours.
But where are the true individual award front-runners in Buffalo? There are some outside possibilities for Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin to win the Hart Trophy, and for Dahlin to also take home the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman.
After that, there's pretty much no other Sabres players who will be in the mix for an individual award this coming season. For instance, there's not going to be a Vezina Trophy-winner from the Sabres. Their small army of goaltending options -- including Ukko-Peka Luukonen, Alex Lyon, veteran Alexandar Georgiev -- and in net does not inspire you to imagine Buffalo will have the best netminder in the league this season.
Meanwhile, the Sabres don't have a true front-runner to win the Calder Trophy as the league'stop rookie. And imagining Buffalo will have a leader in the Art Ross Trophy is stretching the bounds of credulity. This Sabres team probably won't have a player who proves they're a top-10 talent in the league, and that will be reflected in the league's individuals.
In a best-case scenario, Thompson will raise the bar for himself and begin challenging in the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard race as the best goal-scorer in the game. Toronto Maple Leafs star center Auston Matthews will be the front-runner to win this year's goal-scoring race, but if Thompson can score 50 goals and 100 points, the Sabres are going to be thrilled.
Do The Math, And You'll See Why Sabres Are A Playoff Longshot
That said, Buffalo isn't going to win the Jim Gregory Award as the best GM in the game, and Lindy Ruff isn't going to win the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's best coach. It's possible in theory both Ruff and GM Kevyn Adams find ways to get the Sabres into the post-season, but is it probable? No, this writer believes Buffalo will struggle to climb the ladder, both in an individual manner and as a group.
And this writer believes the Sabres won't make the playoffs -- leading to be changes next summer or sooner. Adams and Ruff have their future wrapped up with one another, and there's no question their lack of success running the Sabres will keep them in job limbo at this time next year.
When you look at the league's top teams, you see that most, if not all teams that are high-end playoff teams have elite players who contend for individual awards all season long. And the Sabres' lack of high-end, superstar performances is one of the reasons Buffalo is looking like a long-shot of making it into the playoffs.
It's The Calm Before The Storm For Sabres As Buffalo Aims To End Painful Playoff DroughtFor the Buffalo Sabres, it’s the calm before the storm. The NHL’s 2025-26 regular-season is about to commence, and with the new season comes a new set of expectations for the Sabres. And with this season’s Sabres, the expectation is urgent – this Buffalo team is either going to end the Sabres’ 14-year playoff drought, or there are going to be changes throughout the organization, including the firings of GM Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff.
It's accurate that the Sabres do have talent -- they just don't have enough of it. And somehow, some way, they need to figure out a way to squeeze into the playoffs by any means neccessary.