The Buffalo Sabres were one of the more impressive teams in the NHL last season. Buffalo was easily the most impressive team to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After years of failing to take that proverbial next step, the Sabres finally put together a season to be proud of.

Buffalo missed the playoffs by just one point. They have an incredibly promising young core in place already. And they have the best prospect pipeline in the NHL right now. The Sabres are built for success in the short term and long term.

Of course, things are different this year. Buffalo caught a lot of people by surprise last season. They won't be an underdog this season. This team has legitimate expectations on their shoulders, and failing to live up to them would be a major disappointment.

Before the Sabres drop the puck on their new season, let's take a look at three bold predictions for this team as they prepare for an all-important 2023-24 NHL season.

Rasmus Dahlin flirts with 100

Rasmus Dahlin put together an elite offensive season for a defenseman a year ago. He scored 15 goals and 73 points for the Sabres as they fought for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In most other years, the 23-year-old star would have finished higher than eighth in Norris Trophy voting.

Unfortunately, he was held down the ballot. There are two reasons for this. One, most of the attention the Sabres received focused on other players. Tage Thompson emerged as a superstar, scoring nearly 50 goals. And Jeff Skinner, once an albatross, turned in an impressive 82-point bounce-back season. Two, Erik Karlsson went off and recorded 101 points for the San Jose Sharks in 2022-23.

Dahlin will receive a lot more attention this year than he did last year. And he'll do so in a major way. The former first-overall pick will flirt with the 100-point mark in his own right. A performance like that should certainly see him as a frontrunner for the Norris Trophy in 2024.

Tage Thompson scores 60

Thompson emerged as an absolutely electric player in 2022-23. He scored 47 goals and 94 points, driving the Sabres as they found themselves in the playoff hunt. Thompson proved he can thrive in the NHL, and he should continue to do so this upcoming season.

Thompson will once again anchor Buffalo's top line between Skinner and Alex Tuch. He could also lineup across from Dahlin on the power play from the point. Buffalo's best point producer will have all the same opportunities to facilitate scoring chances once again this upcoming season.

Not only will Thompson create those chances, he'll continue finding the back of the net himself. The 25-year-old Arizona native will score at least 60 goals this season for a high-flying Sabres team aiming for all the marbles.

Sabres win Atlantic

The Sabres finished fifth in the Atlantic Division last year on 91 points. This year, Buffalo should be a contender for the Atlantic Division title. In fact, I'm willing to put all my poker chips in and say the Sabres will win the Atlantic in 2024.

The top three from last season — the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tampa Bay Lightning — are not as strong this year. Boston, especially, figures to take a step back. Tampa Bay will be without elite goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy for the start of the season due to injury. And the Maple Leafs are a major question mark this season.

Other teams have gotten better. The Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators both figure to take a step this season. But neither are in a position to challenge for the Atlantic Division just yet. The Florida Panthers made the Stanley Cup Final, but are riddled with injury to begin the season.

Of course, it's hard to bet on the Sabres. After all, we're talking about intangible potential here. We're all just assuming everything goes right for this team. But in the same vein, the Buffalo Sabres are in an incredible position to take advantage of the rest of the division and stake their claim to the top spot.