3 Positive Takes From Sabres’ 2023-24 Regular Season

Speaking of goal-scoring, Peterka was one of the Sabres’ best goal-scoring threats all season long. He was shuffled up and down the lineup at different points of the season, but ultimately found a home on the top line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. He currently sits with 28 goals and 50 points with one game remaining against the Tampa Bay Lightning, so he still has a great chance to eclipse the 30-goal mark by the season’s end. Peterka has grown from an unconfident playmaker in his rookie year, to a speedy and soft-hands-driven goal scorer who easily has the potential to grow even more. Beyond any doubt, he was one of the Sabres’ best players on any given night.

Then there was rookie Zach Benson who went through all the typical trials of a first-year player in the NHL. He had a dominant preseason that had him earn a roster spot, and he managed to stick with the big club all season long despite some slumps along the way. By the end of the season, he went from a slightly undersized forward trying to prove he could play well, to a pest who was outstanding at puck possession, playmaking, and exciting goal-scoring. With easily the best and most entertaining goal of the Sabres season, he has shown that he does not score boring goals. He is definitely one to watch grow into his game in the next two to three years.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen… Enough Said

At the start of the season, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen found himself on the outside looking in as the third-string goaltender after a very slow start. With the other Sabres goalies Eric Comrie and Devon Levi also putting up mediocre numbers up to that point, Luukkonen stepped up as the year turned from 2023 to 2024, and he was arguably one of the best goalies in the NHL from that time until now. His five shutouts are tied for second in the league, and he went from an inconsistent goalie with a habit for letting in soft goals (particularly on his glove side) to a rocksteady netminder with the poise of a 10-year veteran.

For the majority of this season, Luukkonen was the reason the Sabres had a chance to win most games, and that is one of the most refreshing statements to have about goaltending right now. In a season where the Sabres were banking on one young goalie or the other to step up and be a legitimate starter, Luukkonen rose to the challenge better than the rest and has easily established himself as a starter going forward. I have said it before, and I will say it again: I am excited to see how Devon Levi turns out at the NHL level, but if his only true contribution to the Sabres is challenging Luukkonen enough to make him a reliable starting goaltender, then that is a win in my book. Luukkonen is undoubtedly the Sabres’ MVP this season, and it isn’t even close.

Rasmus Dahlin Becoming a True Leader

The Sabres had a leadership core of Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons, and Rasmus Dahlin for the majority of this season. With Kyle Okposo being traded to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline, the player wearing the “C” on his chest was lost from the locker room, and it left a space open for someone to step up and be that guy. All season long, Dahlin was showing glimpses of his leadership qualities, whether it was his post game comments about improvements and accountability on a regular basis, his play on the ice when he saw opportunities to take over, and the sacrifices he made to his own individual stats to help the team as a whole; especially when he was playing nearly 30 minutes per night in a more defensive role, sacrificing his offensive talents for the sake of team play when there were key injuries in the lineup.

Since Okposo’s departure, Dahlin has looked like a much bigger presence than before. He plays and talks like a leader, and at the ripe young age of 24, he is earning that massive contract extension that he signed earlier in the season. Despite having a “down year” in points, he has a career-high in goals, and he still has more room to grow on top of that. He is shaping up to be a superstar in the NHL, and having him potentially as their future captain is just icing on the cake if you ask me.

Sabres Have Plenty Left to Show

The slow start to the season, combined with key injuries and other factors was a huge factor as to why the season was not great, but that doesn’t mean that every player succumbed to those pains. An odd one was Jacob Bryson, who despite not playing most of the season, had an outstanding finish to his year. Another quiet one was Connor Clifton, who initially struggled to get going, but found his way around the halfway point of the season, and was one of the Sabres’ best defenders all around. Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch also picked up their pace down the stretch, and it gives me hope that having them both at full health and capacity for next season will see them back at the high-scoring marks expected of them.

The Sabres have a lot left to show us before all the faith returns, but there are still good things to take away from the 2023-24 season. Lessons have been learned, and expectations should be easier to meet in the future. This team has grown in a lot of good ways, and it leaves enough to be anticipated going into the off-season. Now all we can do is wait and see what happens to make this team a contender in the coming year.