No team has gone longer than the Buffalo Sabres without making the Stanley Cup Playoffs — the Western New York based franchise hasn't qualified for the postseason since losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010-11. But with the Jack Eichel saga behind them and the squad loaded with young talent, it's only a matter of time before this team is good again.

GM Kevyn Adams addressed the team's most pressing need when the free agency period opened on July 1 — depth on the blue line. The Sabres added former Stanley Cup champion Erik Johnson from the Colorado Avalanche and former Boston Bruin Connor Clifton, which will do just that. Head coach Don Granato will have a lot more options heading into 2023-24 in terms of mixing and matching his defensive pairs, especially with two responsible defensive players who could potentially play with the offensively minded No. 1 overall picks in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

Buffalo has been unable to add a forward in free agency, which is disappointing considering Jack Quinn's achilles injury will very likely cause him to miss the start of the season. But defense was the priority, and the team's defense has improved this summer.

Signed Erik Johnson to one-year deal

Erik Johnson is a former No. 1 overall pick and a Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche in 2022. He's just the type of player the Buffalo Sabres will covet to mentor the young guys both on the blue line and in the locker room. And for $3.25 million, he'll be on a very solid contract in Buffalo next season.

“I think of Erik Johnson and it's really important for me to have a guy like Erik who I feel like can play with any one of our left-shot D in different situations,” Granato told The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn earlier in July. “He can help Samuelsson on the penalty kill. He can help Dahlin with calm and perspective and balance and I think Owen is going to pick up subtleties that Erik has developed over 15 years plus. He'll help everybody differently.”

Johnson's impact will likely be felt on and off the ice in New York in 2023-24.

Signed Connor Clifton to three-year deal

Connor Clifton played under Granato in the US Development Program before he joined the Boston Bruins in 2018-19. The Sabres coach has high praise for the 28-year-old, who has been an underrated part of an outstanding Bruins blue line over the past few seasons.

“Guys love playing with him, whether it's forwards or D partners. He works for his teammates. He has a great sense of objective and a great situational awareness. He plays a very mature game. His skill set is his skill set. But the intangibles of situational awareness and going through experiences in the NHL, the way he fits into a team, he’s just a culture driver naturally.”

The New Jersey native was given a three-year, $9.99 million contract by Adams when free agency opened, and he figures to be a staple on the Sabres blue line until he's on the other side of 30-years-old. He will likely be playing opposite Owen Power on the team's second pairing, and will play tough minutes and allow Power to flourish in a more offensive role.

Retained captain Okposo, Jost, Girgensons

Besides the great additions of Johnson and Clifton, team captain Kyle Okposo signed with the squad well before free agency opened, a sign that the 35-year-old has faith in this young core. He inked a one-year, $2.5 million pact back at the end of May, and figures to play a fourth-line role next season.

It seems like Girgensons has been in the bottom-six of the Sabres forever, and the 29-year-old Latvian will play at least one more year in Buffalo to keep that identity alive. Tyson Jost has struggled at the NHL level after being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, but he scored a very respectable 22 points in 59 games with the Sabres last year, and should benefit from a full season with the team. He signed a one-year, $2 million deal on July 1.

Final Grade: B

The Buffalo Sabres are knocking on the door of playoff contention in a gauntlet of an Atlantic Division, and 2023-24 could be the year they finally break through and return to the dance for the first time in over a decade. The additions of Johnson and Clifton will go a long way on the blue line and in the locker room next season, but without signing another forward to play with Dylan Cozens on the second line, Kevyn Adams isn't quite at an ‘A' grade just yet.

Still, they have star power at all three positions led by freak Tage Thompson up front, a couple of No. 1 overall picks in Dahlin and Power on the back end who will only get better, and a young goaltender in Devon Levi who has a legitimate chance to challenge for the Calder Trophy (if Connor Bedard doesn't run away with it). The past has been extremely bleak, but the future is shining bright for the soon-to-be powerhouse Buffalo Sabres.