Believe it or not, the 2021-22 campaign was an extremely successful one for the Buffalo Sabres.
Sure, the club ended the season with a record of 32-39-11, finishing fifth in the Atlantic Division, 11th in the Eastern Conference and didn't sniff the postseason.
But this was a team most predicted to finish with the worst record in the East, fighting for last place in the league. The Sabres overachieved this season, thanks to a mix of breakout performances from youngsters such as Tage Thompson and veterans such as Kyle Okposo and Craig Anderson playing above expectations.
The Jack Eichel saga is finally over, with the Sabres getting a great haul for their disgruntled former captain, which included likely future captain Alex Tuch. Owen Power, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, has arrived and looked as advertised to end the season. Head coach Don Granato has made this team an extremely tough opponent to play night in and night out since he arrived late in the 2020-21 season.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. The club seems to be headed in the right direction after a disastrous past few seasons in upstate New York. Trust me, Buffalo, it's a great time to be a Sabres fan.
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Here's some insight into how the Sabres look heading into the offseason.
All salaries are from Spotrac.
Sabres upcoming free agents
After handing out a bunch of one-year deals last summer, there are a number of Sabres hitting free agency in 2022.
All three of the goalies on the Buffalo roster are free agents, leaving question marks not just at the starting position, but also the backup. The team also is set to have three of its defensemen hitting the market as well, leaving gaps on the blue line.
| Unrestricted free agents | Restricted free agents |
| Cody Eakin | Victor Olofsson |
| Vinnie Hinostroza | Brandon Biro |
| Drake Caggiula | Jacob Bryson |
| Colin Miller | |
| Will Butcher | |
| Mark Pysyk | |
| Malcolm Subban | |
| Craig Anderson | |
| John Hayden | |
| Dustin Tokarski | |
| Andrew Oglevie |
Sabres future salaries, roster
The Sabres have a ton of cap space to use in their future, but with so many young players coming through, eventually they will need to get paid.
The Jeff Skinner contract is still an issue, as he is set to make $9 million over the next five years despite never being a $9 million a year kind of player. Luckily for the Sabres, Kyle Okposo has just one more year left making $6 million, so that money will be off the books after next season.
| Player | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
| Jeff Skinner | $9 million | $9 million | $9 million |
| Rasmus Dahlin | $6 million | $6 million | $6 million |
| Kyle Okposo | $6 million | UFA | - |
| Alex Tuch | $4.75 million | $4.75 million | $4.75 million |
| Casey Mittelstadt | $2.5 million | $2.5 million | RFA |
| Henri Jokiharju | $2.5 million | $2.5 million | RFA |
| Zemgus Girgensons | $2 million | UFA | - |
| Anders Bjork | $1.6 million | RFA | - |
| Tage Thompson | $1.4 million | RFA | - |
| Mattias Samuelsson | $925,000 | RFA | - |
| Owen Power | $925,000 | $925,000 | RFA |
| Dylan Cozens | $894,167 | RFA | - |
| Peyton Krebs | $863,333 | $863,333 | RFA |
| Rasmus Asplund | $825,000 | RFA | - |
| Cody Hodgson* | $791,667 | - | - |
| Casey Fitzgerald | $750,000 | RFA | - |
* = contract buyout
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Sabres 2022 NHL Draft picks
GM Kevyn Adams has 10 draft picks to work with this summer — most importantly, three first-round picks.
The downside of the Sabres overachieving this season is that their first-round pick isn't as high as anticipated. There was the expectation that the Sabres could potentially battle for the No. 1 spot and Shane Wright. Instead, Buffalo is looking like it will pick around No. 8.
They also own the Golden Knights' and Panthers' first-round selections. Vegas' pick is much higher than expected with the team missing the playoffs, so that's a bonus for Buffalo. The Panthers' pick will be at the bottom of the first round.
The team also has a second, a third, a fourth, fifth, two sixths and a seventh.
MORE: NHL Mock Draft 2022 2.0: Canadiens take Shane Wright with No. 1 pick
One burning question
Will the Sabres be big spenders in free agency?
Buffalo enters this offseason with the most projected cap space of any team, around $42 million. So how will they spend it?
Adams was in the same position last offseason and elected instead to give out the "Buffalo Special" — a bunch of one-year contracts under $1 million. It was a smart move because the team wasn't going to be competing for a Cup and still in rebuild mode. Plus, I can't imagine many players were chomping at the bit to sign in Buffalo.
However, this offseason is different. The team is in a much better position than people expected, especially after getting Tuch and Peyton Krebs in the Eichel trade. The Sabres are now a promising destination and the team has the money to make a potential big splash in free agency.
Of course, as I mentioned before, Adams can't blow through all his cash, with some of the young pieces of this team in need of a pay raise in the next couple of summers. But the Sabres could make some noise and sign a few key pieces for the future of the team.
