Where does the Wagon go from here?
The Buffalo Sabres’ magical run of 2025-26 came to an end at the hands of a Game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After a stretch where they earned an NHL-best 63 points from a 29-9-5 record since the beginning of 2026, the Sabres ended a drought where they missed the playoffs for 14 years. They won the Atlantic Division for the first time in franchise history, having never finished above 5th in the division before this season. Overall, Buffalo finished with 50 wins and 109 points en route to the postseason.
A huge positive in the right direction for the trending upward Sabres came earlier today during end-of-season press conferences, after the team announced the extension of head coach Lindy Ruff to a two-year deal. Ruff has been with the Sabres before, but in his current stint with the Sabres, he’s 86 wins across two seasons and is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, an honor bestowed upon him 20 years ago when he won coach of the year behind the same bench in 2005-06.
The biggest headline outside of Ruff saw all eyes on pending UFA forward Alex Tuch. The Syracuse, NY native finished his fifth season with the Sabres, scoring 33 goals for 66 points in 79 games and added seven points in 13 playoff games to cap out the final season of his seven-year, $33.25MM ($4.75MM AAV) contract. Tuch said he has an interest in coming back to Buffalo, and that general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen expressed that he wants him back in exit interviews. Contract talks were put on hold during the playoffs, but we’ll see where things go between the Sabres and Tuch.
Additional notes:
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- Tage Thompson said he was dealing with lower back injuries that had been lingering from the regular season. He also expressed ‘hitting a wall’ throughout this hockey season, a campaign which began for him at the IIHF World Championships, winning gold for the USA in the summer of 2025 and later at the Olympics in February, leading into the playoff push. The 28-year-old forward finished his 2025-26 NHL season with 81 points in 81 games played and had 15 points in Buffalo’s 13 playoff games.
- In terms of injuries, there were a few notable admissions along with Thompson. Owen Power was dealing with a grade-3 ankle sprain that he suffered late in the second round series against the Montreal Canadiens. Logan Stanley was playing with an undisclosed injury, and Sam Carrick was rushed back from a left-arm injury he suffered in the regular season.
- Along with Lindy Ruff being a ‘no-brainer’ extension for Kekäläinen, there are certainly some decisions that will require all parties to take time as Buffalo moves into its first summer where the grass is greener, thanks to a playoff berth. The window is now open, and Kekäläinen has to build on what this team he inherited had been able to accomplish. Buffalo has just $12.9MM in cap space as they enter this summer, and a good chunk of impact players that they’ll want to ensure they can retain before they make additions to the core. Along with Tuch, Buffalo has to address UFA forwards Beck Malenstyn, Tanner Pearson, Joshua Dunne, and defensemen Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley. On the RFA side, three key younger members in Peyton Krebs, Zach Benson, and defenseman Michael Kesselring are expiring this summer. Kekäläinen also said he told defenseman Bowen Byram, who has a year left at $6.25MM, that he’d like to have him back on a long-term deal.
Tage Thompson said something interesting about hitting a wall, Even more reasons for players to avoid meaningless exhibitions, And, Put your paid employer first. It’s an absolute obligation. As for Sabre free agents, Signing Tuch is a priority, And, Zach Benson, Let the rest walk.