Maple Leafs must hope they get the same old Buffalo Sabres this season

"Try to think of anyone who owns two expensive things of more wildly different value than Terry Pegula of the Buffalo Bills and Sabres. It must be like owning your own island that just so happens to include a shack so moldy it's too dangerous to tear down. Consider going from Josh Allen's Hall of Fame pyrotechnics to a team suffering through a 14-year playoff drought and a painful recent history of watching exes flourish. The whiplash has to be agonizing."

"Adjusting to life without Mitch Marner could be tricky for the Leafs if Detroit, Montreal, and Ottawa all take predictable steps forward while Florida and Tampa Bay possess better high-end talent. Things would get downright scary if Boston rebounds and the Sabres ... finally don't look like the Sabres. Expecting much from this franchise is foolish; just ask their hard-luck fans. Buffalo even becoming a tougher out could make Toronto's trek to the playoffs pretty bumpy, though."

"Here and there, he's shown flashes of potential to become a top-four defenseman. Last season was his best with the franchise now known as the Utah Mammoth, as the 25-year-old generated career-highs in points (29) and average time on ice (17:41 minutes per game). Power's pairing mates were all over the place last season, so expect Kesselring to get plenty of looks on that right side."

Buffalo's ownership spans wildly different assets, pairing the high-profile Bills with a struggling Sabres franchise. The Sabres remain hampered by a 14-year playoff drought and a recent history of watching former players flourish elsewhere. General manager Kevyn Allen sacrificed some goal-scoring in the 2025 offseason in hopes of preventing more goals against. The roster is heavy on left-handed defensemen with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Bowen Byram leading, and Michael Kesselring added to provide right-handed balance. Kesselring posted career highs in Utah and could earn significant minutes; Buffalo improving could complicate Toronto's playoff path.

Read at Editor In Leaf