BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) \u2014 With the NHL regular season a thing of the past, let\u2019s hand out some awards. In years past, this would mean the Buffalo Sabres season had come to an end. But not this year.<\/p>\n
Biggest surprise
Mattias Samuelsson<\/p>\n
From talks of a contract buyout to becoming a stalwart on the Sabres blue line, Mattias Samuelsson has been a crucial piece to the Sabres’ success this season.<\/p>\n
In 78 games, Samuelsson has been available, has been a consistent offensive contributor, and has logged top-four minutes while playing in every possible role.<\/p>\n
Plus\/Minus is an outdated stat, but when I was looking over his numbers, I was floored. Samuelsson finished the regular season with a team-best +41. Coincidentally, that\u2019s also how many points he had this season, with 13 goals and 28 assists.<\/p>\n
Prior to this season, Samuelsson had never played more than 62 games. This season was a massive leap for the 26-year-old defenseman who now has one of the best contracts in the NHL.<\/p>\n
Biggest disappointment
Kulich\u2019s injury<\/p>\n
If I had to pick a single player, it would probably be Michael Kesselring because of the offseason buzz surrounding his addition. That said, Kesselring was banged up, and I don\u2019t think he was ever quite healthy. He ended up playing just 34 games this season and was a healthy scratch countless times.<\/p>\n
As for Kulich, I had big expectations for the Sabres young forward this season. But after just 12 games, he was sidelined with blood clots. That\u2019s some scary and serious stuff. For Kulich, just getting healthy away from the rink was far and away the top priority. After the Olympic break, it looked like Kulich could potentially return but he had a setback and was ruled out for the rest of the season. Kulich is just 22 years old and will be an important piece for this team moving forward. But circumstances out of his control led his absence to being my biggest disappointment of the season.<\/p>\n
Unsung Hero
Alex Lyon<\/p>\n
When the Sabres needed someone to hold down the fort, Alex Lyon was that guy. Let\u2019s not forget, Lyon started more games than Luukkonen this season. A late-season injury and some inconsistent play have made Lyon\u2019s playoff status uncertain, but his presence on and off the ice was invaluable. Heading into next season, the Sabres have to figure something out with Lyon, Luukkonen, and Colten Ellis, but it\u2019s a good problem to have.<\/p>\n
Peyton Krebs Appreciation Award
Peyton Krebs<\/p>\n
2025-2026 was far and away Peyton Krebs’ best season as a pro. The 25-year-old played all 82 games, had 11 more points than he did last season, and was a chess piece the Sabres could use all over their lineup. I know Krebs hasn\u2019t necessarily blossomed as an elite offensive weapon like many hoped after the Jack Eichel trade, but there\u2019s serious value in a forward who can move up and down the lineup and put up 39 points.<\/p>\n
The DAWG award
Josh Doan and Zach Benson<\/p>\n
The committee (me) has announced a tie.<\/p>\n
Josh Doan has been the most important roster addition this season. His teammates love him, he\u2019s relentless at both ends of the ice, and he\u2019s a glue guy. Every good team needs a glue guy, and Doan is the Sabres. It\u2019s why the team was comfortable giving him a massive extension after just three months with the team.<\/p>\n
But you can say all those same things about Zach Benson. He\u2019s versatile and can play up and down the lineup, he makes every one of his teammates better, and he\u2019s the team’s DJ.<\/p>\n
Benson is a player the Sabres need to keep for a long time. He\u2019s still just 20-years-old and seemingly just scratching the surface of his potential.<\/p>\n
Bove\u2019s An Idiot Award
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen<\/p>\n
Over the years, I have been critical of the Sabres’ starting goaltender. In fairness, his play is often volatile.<\/p>\n
This season, that has not been the case. For several months, Luukkonen has been really good. It\u2019s gotten to the point where I have changed my thoughts about the playoffs. In March, I would\u2019ve said Luukkonen and Lyon should rotate playoff starts. But Luukkonen has been too good to keep him on the bench.<\/p>\n
This season, Luukkonen has a 22-9-3 record with an impressive .910 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average.<\/p>\n
The playoffs will be another big test for the Sabres’ starting goaltender, but if he continues to play the way he has, they should be in good shape.<\/p>\n
Sabres MVP
Rasmus Dahlin<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no coincidence that the Sabres started to look like a juggernaut when Dahlin\u2019s play elevated. There\u2019s a reason he\u2019s in the conversation for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league\u2019s top defenseman.<\/p>\n
Offensively, Dahlin\u2019s game has reached a new level. In 77 games, he has 19 goals, 55 assists, and 74 points. But what isn\u2019t talked about enough is his level of compete, his physicality, and how he\u2019s a workhorse every night. This season, he averaged more than 24 minutes per night.<\/p>\n
The Sabres go as Dahlin goes, and this season, that\u2019s been farther than they have in 14 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) \u2014 With the NHL regular season a thing of the past, let\u2019s hand out some…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":586939,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[256745,21069,70861,1809,70862,187929,256746,385,130400,154085,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-586938","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-2026-sabres","9":"tag-alex-lyon","10":"tag-alex-tuch","11":"tag-buffalo-sabres","12":"tag-jack-eichel","13":"tag-josh-doan","14":"tag-matt-bove","15":"tag-nhl","16":"tag-rasmus-dahlin","17":"tag-sabres","18":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586938\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}