Looking Towards 2026 Olympics While Current Team Struggles
Plus, read about why Peyton Krebs deserves some time in the top-six.
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Buffalo Sabres newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Sabres writers.
In today’s edition, we feature a THW premium piece on the statistics behind Dylan Cozens’ struggles, as well as articles on why Peyton Krebs deserves more ice time and Sabres players who may end up playing at the 2026 Olympics. It would be great if you’d share the THW Substack with your friends and family so that they can subscribe and enjoy all the latest.
Dylan Cozens’ Disappointing 2023-24 Season
February 12, 2024 by JP Gambatese (THW Premium Content)
Last season, Buffalo Sabres’ budding star Dylan Cozens finally broke out, potting 31 goals and 68 points in 81 games. The former seventh-overall pick looked every bit as worthy of the seven-year, $7.1 million AAV contract that ensued.
Flash forward to 2023-24, and the results simply aren’t matching his production from last year. He’s sitting on 10 goals and 29 points in 48 games, pacing for just 16 goals and 49 points, both well short of his totals from just one season ago. Not only that, but most of his underlying statistics are also worse than they were in 2022-23.
Sabres’ Forward Peyton Krebs Should Be Filling in for Jack Quinn
February 7, 2024 by Jacob D. Strozyk
The injury bug continues to plague some of the Sabres’ best young players, and recently another long-term setback has come for the likes of Jack Quinn. Since returning to the lineup in late December, he has been a reliable scoring threat, and has been a massive part of the second line’s resurgence. Both JJ Peterka and Dylan Cozens have looked better since his return, and they have carried that momentum into a very productive recent stretch. As Quinn has gone down with injury once more, and will be out for six to eight weeks, his spot on the second line needs to be filled appropriately.
Head coach Don Granato has chosen to put rookie Zach Benson in this position recently, and while he is a solid candidate, there is another young player who has earned the right to play in that position. Peyton Krebs has found himself relegated to the bottom two lines for the past couple of seasons, and in that position has grown into a responsible two-way forward while adding some grit to his usual playmaking skill. As his play style has developed, he has shown he can take on big minutes, and I feel he deserves a bigger look than he is being given.
4 Sabres Who Could Participate In 2026 Olympics
September 15, 2023 by Matthew Morris (Sabres’ History)
After the last two incarnations of Olympic ice hockey didn’t feature the National Hockey League, the world’s premiere players are at last headed back to the grandest international stage the sport has to offer. It was announced last Friday (Feb. 2, 2024) that the NHL will allow its talent to participate in both the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics. The league had previously ended its involvement starting with the 2018 games, a decision that was widely unpopular amongst players.
It’s great news for Olympic hockey, but also for the players themselves and they will once again have the honor of representing their countries. And as for the Buffalo Sabres, the team stands a chance of being well-represented at the 2026 games in Milan, Italy.
Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin are all but guaranteed to be selected for the United States and Sweden, respectively — while the “Latvian Locomotive” Zemgus Girgensons will undoubtedly lace up for his homeland as well — but a few of their contemporaries also stand a chance of being selected. Some of these are more realistic than others, but the following Sabres could be in contention as well.
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