Entering training camp last September, the Buffalo Sabres pushed back on the assertion that the 2023-24 campaign was a do-or-die season for the club, but after taking a step back and missing the playoffs by seven points, GM Kevyn Adams dismissed head coach Don Granato and replaced him with Lindy Ruff.
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12 months later, as the Sabres begin to ramp up towards the 2024-25 season after making a number of roster tweaks, there is little question that the club is facing a playoff-or-bust scenario. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast indicated that there is pressure within the organization to snap the club’s 13-year postseason drought or there could be “big consequences”.
Adams has been GM since 2021 and has directed the club’s rebuild with top overall picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power and youngsters J.J. Peterka, Jack Quinn, and Dylan Cozens, but the group has failed to develop sufficiently at both ends of the ice.
Related: Luukkonen Signs Five-Year Deal With Sabres
Friedman indicated that the signing of goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to a five-year, $23.75 million contract this summer is a strong indicator that the 25-year-old Finn will be the workhorse and clear #1 between the pipes, but that it is unknown whether Ruff will go with sophomore Devon Levi or veteran James Reimer as the backup.
Levi is entering the final year of his entry-level contract, while Reimer is on a one-year, $1 million deal. If the plan is to use Luukkonen heavily as Granato leaned on him in the second half of last season, Levi would likely only play 25-30 NHL games this season instead of helping his long-term development by playing him 55-60 games in AHL Rochester.
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