3 Underrated Sabres Going into the 2026-27 Season

He may have disappeared in the playoffs as he only put up 2 goals and 4 points in 13 games, but that really will only help his case to exist out of the minds of opponents in this coming season. He has enough speed to still keep up with the current game despite his advancing age (34), and he plays with good intensity. It will be interesting to see how he does if he can stay completely healthy, and if he can put up a third 20+ goal campaign for the Sabres.

Louis Crevier, Defense

Louis Crevier was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the trade that sent Bowen Byram to the windy city, and allowed the Sabres to pick 4th overall in the 2026 draft (the pick ending up being Daxon Rudolph). While some may have looked at Crevier as a “throw in” of sorts to sweeten the deal, he has the ability to be more than that. The 6-foot-8 defender has 134 games of NHL experience over his first three seasons, and he recently completed his first full season in 2025-26. By the end of it, he was averaging around 19-21 minutes per night, scored 7 goals, and put up 25 points on a Blackhawks team that was not really able to put up any big offensive numbers all season.

Besides his solid offensive capabilities, he managed to finish the season at a mere minus-2 for his plus-minus rating. For playing on a team that had a minus-62 goal differential, and was ranked 27th in goals against in the league, escaping at nearly even shows how responsible and composed Crevier can be. He will be given every opportunity to be a big part of the Sabres defense with the departure of Byram (especially as a big right handed defender), and he has a very good chance to impress a lot of people with what he can do.

Colten Ellis, Goaltender

Colten Ellis is more of a dark horse pick here, as his presence on the team feels like an enigma. He was originally brought in as a wiver claim at the start of the 2025-26 season, and he was held up with the big club all season long to give them security at the goaltending position. It was odd considering the Sabres had (at that time) Devon Levi waiting in the minors to be called up at a moment’s notice, but something stuck out about him enough to keep him around. Regardless of how long went between his starts, he had some very good moments, mixed with some off ones; which is to be expected from a first year goalie.

By the end of the season, Ellis made a total of 14 starts, garnering a record of 8-4-2, having a 2.90 goals agaionst average, a .903 save percentage, and one shutout. He proved enough that he could play in the big leagues, and that the promise that he originally showed in the AHL before being claimed off waivers could translate to the NHL.

Ellis still sits as third on the depth chart behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon, but where things get interesting is that the Sabres still do not have an officially declared #1 goaltender. The position is still technically up for grabs, and a really good training camp, and first few games could secure him a starting role. All he needs is for the cards to fall his way, and he could be one of the most underrated players sitting on this roster waiting to be unleashed.

Underrated Does Not Mean Undervalued

All three of these players have the potential to be key contributors. Zucker may see increased playing time with the departure of Alex Tuch, Crevier has the chance to be a second pairing defender alongside Owen Power, and Ellis has the potential to grab a full time NHL spot if either Lyon or Luukkonen crumble. Just because most people will not be paying much attention to these players outside of the Sabres organization itself, does not mean that they will not bring strong value. The regular season is right around the corner, and following these players, seeing where they are by December will be a real treat.