2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft, Rounds 2-7 - Source: Getty — 5 Buffalo Sabres players and personnel detrimental to retool roster after 14th playoff miss ft. Kevyn Adams - Source: Getty

5 Buffalo Sabres players and personnel detrimental to retool roster after 14th playoff miss ft. Kevyn Adams

Modified Jun 11, 2025 10:19 GMT

The Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs for a record 14th straight season in 2024-25. That situation has brought fans’ exasperation to a boiling point.

Despite a concerted effort by the organization to rebuild the team, the results just haven’t been there. The team continues to be plagued by inconsistent results, leading to questions about the organization’s leadership and lack of direction.

Here’s a look at five Buffalo Sabres players and personnel holding the team back from a successful retool/rework this offseason.

5 Buffalo Sabres players and personnel detrimental to retool roster after 14th playoff miss

#5 Rasmus Dahlin

Fans have called Dahlin's leadership into question - Source: Imagn

Rasmus Dahlin has emerged as the Buffalo Sabres’ franchise cornerstone. As a result, the organization gave Dahlin an eight-year, $88 million contract while naming him team captain.

Dahlin has lived up to expectations thus far, registering 68 points in 73 games last season. However, online chatter has predominantly focused on Dahlin’s seeming lack of leadership. While the opinion in the mainstream NHL media is largely positive, fans have manifested their discontent at Dahlin’s apparent absence on the ice at times.

The Sabres will be expecting Dahlin to emerge as the team’s undisputed leader as the club looks to turn a corner next season.

#4 Alex Tuch

Alex Tuch has been a fantastic player for the Buffalo Sabres. So much so that his impending free agency next summer must be keeping team GM Kevyn Adams up at night.

Tuch is entering the final year of his current deal, carrying a $4.75 million cap hit. He will likely command a hefty pay raise, making it tough for the Sabres to add to the roster without finding themselves in a cap crunch.

Until the Sabres ink Tuch to a new contract, the looming specter of his free agency could weigh heavily on the team’s decisions moving forward.

#3 The current RFA crop

Bowen Byram is rumored to be on the trade block this summer - Source: Imagn

The Buffalo Sabres have a smidge over $23 million in cap space this summer. However, the team has six key RFAs to deal with: Ryan McLeod, Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, Tyson Kozak, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Bowen Byram.

Of this group, Byram and Peterka have been rumored to be available for trade this summer most likely due to salary cap constraints.

The Sabres cannot hope to sign all of their pending RFAs with their current cap space. Unless some cap-clearing moves happen, the Sabres will have to part ways with one or two highly talented young players.

#2 Lindy Ruff

Lindy Ruff could be on the hot seat if the Buffalo Sabres continue to regress- Source: Imagn

Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff is in his second go-around with the team. He had a very successful run from 1997 to 2013, making a Stanley Cup Finals appearance and winning a Jack Adams Award.

But Ruff was let go as the Sabres fell into a death spiral toward the end of his tenure. After a merry-go-round of coaches, the organization sought to rekindle the magic Ruff had in his first tenure. Unfortunately, that magic has been nowhere to be found.

As an Apr. 8 piece in The Athletic noted, Ruff is short on answers with regards to what has been plaguing the team. If Ruff cannot find answers to the Sabres’ woes, he might be part of the problem and not the solution.

#1 Kevyn Adams

When Kevyn Adams took over five seasons ago, hopes were high that the Buffalo Sabres would get on the right track.

Fast forward to 2025 and the Sabres have regressed each of the last two seasons. As The Athletic on Mar. 26, fans have turned on the team, with the blame placed squarely on Ruff and Adams.

Adams has a tall order ahead of him, as he must navigate the pending RFAs on the team while rounding out the roster with suitable veteran pieces. If Adams fails to address these issues moving forward, he could be on the hot seat this upcoming season.

About the author

Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early '90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can't for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

Know More

Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet responds to critics questioning his loyalty to Canada, Bobby Orr's support following 4 Nations drama