Sabres mailbag: Playoff chances? Goalie situation? What to do with Casey Mittelstadt and Victor Oloffson?

Comrie and Luukkonen haven't established themselves as options to become the permanent starter next season. Devon Levi and Erik Portillo are quality prospects, but it seems unlikely that Levi would jump right into the NHL after college. Casey Mittelstadt and Victor Olofsson have both struggled at five-on-five this season, although they are well-liked in the room. They are both among the bottom three skaters in expected goals percentage at 5-On-5. They have 17 and 18 points, respectively, in 30 games this year. The hope is that Mittalstadt will find some confidence and play on the third line with Ol ofsson and Tyson Jost.

Thompson and Dahlin are among the top five in the NHL in points per game. They are also averaging more than a point per games as a defenseman.

Alex Tuch is on pace to have the most productive season of his NHL career. He's done so quietly given Thompson's ascent into stardom. Granato recently said he thinks Tunch has even more upside to his game.

Marco Kasper would have been the first-round pick if the Sabres were able to pull off the Matt Murray trade. Kaser has 13 points in 25 SHL games this season. The Sabres have plenty of cap space and it's now apparent who the future core players are. Next offseason, the team needs to be more aggressive and supplement the roster with impact veterans or rising young players. Terry Pegula has talked about creating a more efficient operation during the pandemic. The next big challenge for GM Ryan Adams is how he does as a buyer. He needs the development of young. players to take precedence. Once those players start to win, it will become easier to attract outside free agents.