The Sabres' quest to become a Stanley Cup contender begins with developing more top-tier stars capable of taking over a game.
One of the main reasons the Buffalo Sabres haven't qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011 is a lack of high-impact players in their supporting cast. Even when the franchise had cornerstones like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, there wasn't enough secondary production to seriously compete.
It's fair to wonder whether the story will remain the same during the 2025-26 NHL season after The Athletic released its tier list of the league's top 150 players on Thursday.