Jack Eichel saga: Prior to the season, the Sabres stripped Eichel of the captaincy after he and the team could not agree on the best course of action for a neck injury. The center was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 4, ending his tenure as a core piece of the Sabres when he scored at least 24 goals and 56 points in each of his first five seasons (2015-20) and was their best offensive player during his time there. Eichel had been the face of the Sabres since he was selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Goalie issues: Buffalo used six goalies this season because of injury. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who entered training camp as a candidate to be the starter, hasn't played for the Sabres since Jan. 11 because of a lower-body injury and has been playing for Rochester of the American Hockey League since Feb 9. Craig Anderson (upper body) was out three months, and Dustin Tokarski (COVID-19 related illness), was out for two months. Malcom Subban, who was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 2, played four games before he was ruled out for the season with an upper-body injury. Aaron Dell and Michael Houser have each also started for the Sabres this season.
Long losing skids: The Sabres started the season 3-0-0 and 5-1-1 but followed up with a 5-18-5 stretch that all but sealed their fate. They lost at least five straight games four times this season, including three of at least six. The inability to string victories together was an issue; they won three straight games once more (March 18-23).