With Season Turning Sour, Look to the Prospects
The Sabres' struggles have come to a head, and as such, monitoring their prospects is of utmost importance for the remainder of this season.
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Buffalo Sabres newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Sabres writers.
Before we jump in, I’d just like to say that I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a fantastic 2024. Thank you for your continued support of the THW Sabres’ Substack!
In today’s edition, we take looks at the Sabres’ prospect pool, whether or not the Sabres should be considered a bottom-feeder, the best Sabres’ moments of 2023, and Jack Quinn’s importance to the team. 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.
Sabres Prospects Impressing at World Junior Prelims
January 1, 2024 by JP Gambatese
The Buffalo Sabres have seven prospects participating in the 2023-24 World Junior Championship (WJC) -- tied for the most of any NHL squad with the Arizona Coyotes and St. Louis Blues. The WJC is home to the world's premier under-20 talents, with players from 10 different countries competing against each other. The Sabres' seven prospects span across five countries -- Canada (CAN), Czechia (CZE), Germany (GER), Slovakia (SVK), and Sweden (SWE). As the Sabres are underwhelming in the 2023-24 season, monitoring their top-notch prospect pool has become increasingly important.
Could the Buffalo Sabres Just Be a Bad Team?
December 31, 2023 by Matthew Morris
This was supposed to be it. This was supposed to be the year for the Buffalo Sabres.
Not for a championship, not for even a run at a championship. This was supposed to be the year that the Sabres picked up their fans and returned to the playoffs after missing them for 12 consecutive seasons. After falling one point short last year and with the same roster largely intact, it seemed like all the pieces were in place for a magical season, one vastly overdue in Western New York.
With the 2023-24 season just about at the halfway point, that hasn’t been the case at all, and Buffalo sits with a 15-18-4 record as of Dec. 30. While that isn’t exactly atrocious, it’s a far, far cry from what was expected and doesn’t reflect how downright doleful it’s been at points.
Buffalo Sabres’ Best Moments of 2023
December 30, 2023 by Michael Golden
Young players emerged, veterans passed the torch, and the Sabres came within a single point of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2011. After 12 months of ups and downs, it’s time for the Buffalo Sabres to turn the page on 2023. It was a bittersweet year, where the Sabres proved how much potential they have when they are clicking. They also showed that their core still has a ways to go. While the Sabres limped toward the finish line in 2023, they certainly had their share of unforgettable moments this year.
Sabres Forward Jack Quinn Can Be A Difference Maker
December 29, 2023 by Jacob D. Strozyk
There is no sugar coating the Sabres’ season as a whole so far as they sit at a measly 14-18-4 record, are on pace to miss the playoffs yet again, and have another top-10 draft pick come June. With all the talent the team has, it is a wonder how they are playing so poor. One player in particular has not been in the lineup for very long due to an injury sustained earlier in the year, but they have all the right tools to be a difference maker. That player is Jack Quinn.
Quinn was out for the start of the season with an achilles injury, and his absence from the top-six forward group was very noticeable. His usual linemates of JJ Peterka and Dylan Cozens were being shuffled around, and Cozens especially has been on a deep slump due to it. While Peterka has been playing very well, adding Quinn to the mix of forwards on the top two lines will only help this team produce more goals, an area that they have struggled with all season.
Sabres' Prospect Update: Dec. 24
December 24, 2023 by JP Gambatese
Welcome to the first Buffalo Sabres prospect update of the revamped THW Substack! Today’s prospect update — the first of many — will be free for all THW Substack subscribers, but shortly, premium posts like this one will only be available to paid subscribers of THW Substack.
The Sabres have one of the league’s best prospect systems, commonly ranked as a top-three farm system around the NHL, so monitoring their progress is a key facet of Sabres fandom.