NHL · Atlantic · Est. 1970 · KeyBank Center
Updated March 16, 2026
Buffalo's 14-year playoff drought is on the verge of ending. The Sabres are 9-1-0 in their last ten games, have climbed to the top of the Atlantic Division, and MoneyPuck pegs their playoff odds at 99.3%. This is no longer a rebuilding team — it's a legitimate contender.
The Sabres acquired defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets, trading away Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, and multiple picks. It's the kind of depth-and-toughness move a team makes when it smells a deep playoff run for the first time in over a decade.
Buffalo sits third in the latest NHL power rankings, trailing only Dallas and Carolina. After years of bottoming out, the Sabres are proving that the rebuild has finally, improbably, paid off. The hockey world is starting to take them seriously.