Sabres add Clifton, Johnson in hopes of ending playoff drought

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2023-24 regular season, which starts Oct. 10. Today, the Buffalo Sabres:

2022-23 season: 42-33-7, fifth in Atlantic Division; did not qualify for Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Connor Clifton, D:Clifton signed a three-year contract July 1 and will have an opportunity for a bigger role in Buffalo. The 28-year-old (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) adds a physical presence to the defense and should help on the penalty kill. Increased minutes and the way the Sabres play could also help him improve offensively, after he had an NHL career-high 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 78 games for the Boston Bruins last season. … Erik Johnson, D: The 35-year-old signed a one-year contract July 1 and brings a veteran presence to a defense corps featuring 23-year-olds Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson and 20-year-old Owen Power. His experience on a Colorado Avalanche team that had to learn how to win after a rebuild before ultimately winning a Stanley Cup championship in 2022 will help the Sabres as they look to end a 12-year playoff drought. His presence should also help improve the penalty kill.

Key departures

Craig Anderson, G: Anderson announced April 13 that he'd be retiring after 20 NHL seasons. He played 709 NHL games and spent his final two seasons with the Sabres. Anderson's leadership was instrumental in helping a young and inexperienced Buffalo team grow on and off the ice. … Vinnie Hinostroza, F: Signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 7. He had 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 26 games with the Sabres last season.

On the cusp

Video: BUF@BOS: Clifton scores SHG in 3rd period, F: Playing as an 18-year-old until turning 19 on April 14, Kulich had 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 62 regular-season games as a rookie with Rochester of the American Hockey League. He had seven goals, including a six-game goal streak, in 12 games in the Calder Cup Playoffs and was named to the AHL Top Prospects Team. Kulich also had seven goals in seven games for Czechia at the World Junior Championship, winning a silver medal. The No. 28 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, he's expected to vie for a roster spot and could receive an opportunity with Jack Quinn out for an extended period of time following surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury sustained during offseason training. … Video: BUF@BOS: Clifton scores SHG in 3rd period, F: The 24-year-old made his NHL debut on March 27, scoring his first NHL goal, and played in the season finale on April 14. He led Rochester with 40 assists and 56 points in 70 regular-season games and had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 14 playoff games. He could also challenge for a spot and while he might start the season in the AHL, he could be on the NHL roster before the end of the year.

What they still need

The Sabres lack NHL experience in goal, with Eric Comrie, 28, having played 47 games, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 24, having played 46 games, and Devon Levi, 21, having played seven games, but a move to address that seems unlikely and would have to make sense, whether financially or in terms of asset cost. With Quinn out to begin the season, the Sabres could seek out help on the wing, but it's possible that's filled internally.

They said it

"We have confidence in the guys we have. And you also know, you hear me say this over and over again is, I think that these guys are getting better every day. … Yeah, in a perfect world you have some more games under your belt. But I'm comfortable. I've said that all along. I really think we're in a position of strength there and I like what we have. And now it's also in terms of how we improve our team, it's to clean up some of the ways to help our goaltenders out. Whether it's certain areas of our defensive game and our penalty kill, things that are very touched on. But that'll be a focus for sure as we start training camp." -- General manager Kevyn Adams on his goalies

Fantasy focus

After Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the next highest rookie in NHL.com's fantasy rankings is Levi, who joined the Sabres on March 31 and was 5-2-0 after leading the NCAA in save percentage each of the past two seasons with Northeastern. With Buffalo having an elite core of young forwards in Tage Thompson, 25, Alex Tuch, 27, Dylan Cozens, 22, along with defensemen Dahlin and Power, Levi could be the final piece to the puzzle to end their Stanley Cup Playoff drought.-- Pete Jensen

Projected lineup

Jeff Skinner -- Tage Thompson -- Alex Tuch

JJ Peterka -- Dylan Cozens -- Jiri Kulich

Jordan Greenway -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Victor Olofsson

Zemgus Girgensons -- Peyton Krebs -- Kyle Okposo

Mattias Samuelsson -- Rasmus Dahlin

Owen Power -- Connor Clifton

Erik Johnson -- Ilya Lyubushkin

Devon Levi

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen