The Buffalo Sabres are going to face significant difficulty next season trying to end their Stanley Cup playoff drought at 14 years. To be sure, the Sabres will need every standings point they can get, and that means playing well against even the NHL's top teams.
To that end, THN.com's Sabres site has been producing a series in which we examine every one of Buffalo's 31 opponents next season. We've made our way through teams from the league's Atlantic, Metropolitan and Central divisions, and more recently, we've been focusing on the eight Pacific Division franchises.
We're nearly done looking at the Pacific teams, but in today's file, we're looking at a team looking to rebound after a disappointing 2024-25 season -- the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks missed the playoffs last season after being one of the league's stronger teams in 2023-24. And Vancouver has made an important addition (and a former Sabre) this summer, making them into a team the Sabres will have a tough time against next season.
With that said, let's look at Buffalo's performance against Vancouver last year, and what that may say about the Sabres' chances against them in 2025-26.
BUFFALO SABRES VS. VANCOUVER CANUCKS
NEW CANUCKS PLAYERS: Evander Kane, LW; Pierre-Olivier Joseph, D
2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 1-0-1, Canucks 1-1-0
2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: December 11 at Vancouver; January 6 at Buffalo
CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? The Canucks were facing the loss of star winger Brock Boeser in free-agency this summer, but Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin re-signed Boeser, assuring the Canucks of a strong offensive presence.
Then, Vancouver traded with the Edmonton Oilers for Vancouver native Evander Kane, giving the Canucks more snarl and experience up front. And the re-signing of Boeser and addition of Kane make Vancouver a deeper and stronger team.
The good news for the Sabres is they didn't lose to the Canucks in regulation time last season, dropping an overtime game in their first game in late November before beating Vancouver in the second game in late January. But this coming season, Buffalo and the Canucks will be squaring off twice in less than a one-month span.
Know Your Enemy, Sabres Pacific Edition: Kraken Swept Buffalo Last Year -- Will This Season Be A Different Story?The Buffalo Sabres' 2025-26 schedule has been out for some time now, and in this ongoing THN.com Sabres site series, we're breaking down Buffalo's chances against every team in the league.
Playing former Sabre Kane may give Buffalo some added inspiration to play well against the Canucks, but like the Sabres, Vancouver wants nothing more than to get back into the playoff mix next year. So the Sabres will have their hands full with the Canucks.
Another factor that could change things for Vancouver is new Canucks coach Adam Foote. The former star defenseman has been Vancouver's assistant coach, but when Rick Tocchet left for the Philadelphia Flyers this summer, Canucks management went in-house to replace him. And Foote inherits a Vancouver team that was a letdown on many fronts this year.
That includes the injury-absence of star Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko, who was limited to only 23 appearances last season. But Demko also signed a contract extension this summer, giving the Canucks one of the strongest goalie tandems (including veteran Kevin Lankinen) in the league. The Sabres will have to be at their best to get pucks past either Demko and Lankinen, because if they can't, Vancouver's above-average offense will put all the pressure on Buffalo's goalies next year.
Know Your Enemy, Sabres Pacific Edition: Sweeping Rebuilding Sharks Should Be No Problem For BuffaloThe Buffalo Sabres' 2025-26 schedule has been out for a while now. And although Sabres fans have known when and where their team will be playing at any given time, it's still worthwhile to examine each Buffalo opponent next year -- and specifically, how the Sabres should fare against team NHL team in 2025-26.
The Sabres and Canucks don't have a natural rivalry that's stood the test of time, but Buffalo needs to play at least as well as it did against Vancouver last year. Failure to do so could impact the Sabres' bottom line -- and potentially be the difference between Buffalo missing and making the post-season next season.
The Sabres will face many teams at least as good as the Canucks next year, and they can't afford to let up on any opponent. Any more disappointment will lead to major change in Buffalo -- but if the Sabres do handle their business against Vancouver and other above-average teams, Buffalo's playoff drought will come to an end.