The Sabres are squandering their momentum: I won’t shed a tear for them

The Buffalo Sabres went 14 years without making the playoffs.

That drought ended in 2025–26, when the Sabres finished atop the Atlantic Division. They even managed to eliminate the Bruins before falling to the surprising Canadiens.

Sabres fans finally told themselves: “That's it—we've emerged from the darkness. The future is bright in Buffalo. For once, we have a quality team!”

However, Jarmo Kekalainen and Marc Bergevin have recently made moves that are enough to make even the most die-hard Sabres fans (whose patience has been worn thin over the past 15 years) doubt the team's direction.

They traded Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway to the Blackhawks in exchange for a 6'8” defenseman from Quebec who seems ready to break out of his shell but isn't yet a sure thing, and two draft picks.

They also sent Michael Kesselring to the Sharks in order to draft 20th overall—rather than 27th—on Friday.

In short, the Sabres have just completed two trades aimed at improving the team in the long term, but not in the short term. These look like perfect trades for a team that's decided to rebuild—which isn't the case in Buffalo.

Add to that the fact that Alex Tuch is headed for full free agency, as are Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley, and that Zach Benson could command a huge contract this summer (RFA)…

For now, the Sabres have weakened their roster; they haven't strengthened it.

Tuch's 33 goals would be hard to replace…

Byram's 42 points and 22 minutes per game will be just as hard to replace…

Byram was an absolute stud at 17 in his draft year. He led Van to Game 7 of the WHL finals against an experienced Prince Albert team.

I'm always intrigued by how people assume this year's No. 4 pick will be so much better than Byram.

I bet he'll thrive in Chicago. He'll run the power play. He'll move the puck up to…

— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) June 24, 2026

The team will miss Jordan Greenway's play next spring, if the Sabres make the playoffs…

And I doubt the top free agents will be lining up to play in Buffalo.

The celebrations may have been short-lived for Sabres Nation.

As a Montrealer, though, you won't see me shedding any tears for the Sabres and their fans. And you won't see Cédrik Séguin (HFTV) doing it either…

If a direct rival takes a step back, that'll be perfect. The Panthers are already set to return to the top…

Overtime

Did Jarmo Kekalainen trade away and let go of players who no longer wanted to play in Buffalo? Players who had made it clear they didn't intend to stay in Buffalo once their current contracts expired?

Players have more and more control over their own destinies in the new NHL.

A city like Buffalo is far from attractive or popular: the weather, social life and recreation, taxes…

Buffalo is almost like a Canadian city: fans there sing the Canadian national anthem in unison on game nights!