3 Buffalo Sabres Players That Just Were Not Ready for the Playoffs – The Hockey Writers – Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres had an incredible season in 2025-26, and nothing can take that away from them. No matter how the season ended, and how things may still taste a little sour from not reaching the heights they wanted, they still had a lot of great things go on during the season and in the playoffs.

With that being said, there is also room for a little criticism and deeper thought into how the team played in the postseason as a whole, and which players just looked out of place. Looking back on their short-lived playoff run, there were a few players who stood out for the wrong reasons.

Logan Stanley, Defenseman

Of the players on this list, Logan Stanley was the one who had the most prior playoff experience. Having played 17 playoff games for the Winnipeg Jets, he should have had an upper hand and a better understanding of what it takes to play how he needs to, but unfortunately, he was one of the flattest performers across the board. Stanley finished his Sabres postseason with a total of eight games played, zero points, a minus-2 rating, a mere six total shots, and a disappointing 10 hits.

While Stanley is not really expected to be much of an offensive threat or a playmaker by any means, he was brought in to be a stable defender with some distinct physicality to him. The problem was that he was not present in the right way in the games that he played.

On top of that, he was massively outplayed by the time that head coach Lindy Ruff took him out of the lineup in favor of some other candidates. Stanley was just too slow to keep up by the time the second round came around, and he did not perform to what was expected in the first either. It was disappointing to say the least.

Josh Norris, Center

A lot of excitement surrounded how Josh Norris would play in the playoffs; how he would stack up against some elite competition as a top-end player for the Sabres. Then, reality set in, as he was injured again in the first round, and even when he was ready to come back, he was initially benched in favor of rookie forward Noah Ostlund, who had outperformed him handily when he stepped in his place.

Norris finished the playoffs with a total of 10 games played, one lone goal, and two assists. As one of the higher-paid players on the team, and easily one of their best usual goal-scoring options, putting only one goal in the back of the net (and it being an empty-net goal, mind you) is just unacceptable by all means.

I remember watching game after game and yelling at the ice to beg Norris to either shoot the puck or at least hit the net. The number of times he was close but had no finishing ability was tragic. He was someone who needed to be a difference maker, but he fell short on every metric.

Ukko-Pekka Luukonen, Goaltender

It is hard to put this name here without people assuming that I am going to blame him for letting in the final goal versus the Montreal Canadiens. The reality is that even without that blunder on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s part, he still had enough general issues, along with his bigger blunders, to really show how much he was not ready for the pressure of the playoffs. From the long-range blunder all the way to the final goal, there was a lot left on the table by Luukkonen.

Luukkonen put up a 3-3-0 record along with a 3.18 goals-against average (GAA), and a .876 save percentage (SV%). He had a good start in the first game versus the Boston Bruins, but then struggled to find his footing after that. Yes, the numbers show he had some more decent games, but watching him play, the struggles were obvious.

He dipped back into some of his old bad habits (overcommitting, slow glove due to reacting instead of anticipating, and losing his cool when too many get past him), and those really hurt the Sabres in the long run. There was a reason, beyond skill set, why Ruff chose to swap to Alex Lyon after Luukkonen struggled, and it was evident by his poor play.

Who Stays, and Who Goes?

There is no reason to keep players who choke under pressure or who do not contribute their share for the majority of a playoff series. Are there some others who could be in the hot seat for this same reason? Yes, absolutely, there is, but focusing on these three addresses the Sabres’ need to fix some of their core problems.

I genuinely think they should find a way to move on from all of them. Getting improved assets and players is of the utmost importance, and not to mention, the Sabres still have a strong pipeline of prospects to choose from. Trading every last one of these players, whether together or separate, will get them some needed improvements, while also leaving room for their prospects to break into the NHL fully.