Buffalo Sabres at New Highmark Stadium
This matchup is projected for a few years from now, but the Devils and Sabres are on similar-ish trajectories and timelines despite the Devils being a little further ahead in their rebuild. The Sabres boast loads of high-end, young talent. They have been a team on the come-up that hasn't quite figured it out just yet, but when they do, they'll be a force in the league.
Not only is this projecting out where these two teams will be in a few years, but it is also projecting the construction of the new Highmark Stadium. The current stadium is home to the Buffalo Bills and has a capacity of over 71,000. The New Highmark Stadium is projected to seat a little less, 62,000, but will be a state-of-the-art, $1.7 billion stadium. Construction began in June of 2023 and is expected to be done in time for the 2026 NFL season.
On the ice, the Devils and Sabres are currently two of the youngest teams in the NHL. By 2026, both teams' young cores should be in their primes and playing playoff hockey yearly. It wouldn't be a big surprise at all if at that point these two teams met once or twice in the postseason.
Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, and Dylan Cozens should all highlight a surging Sabres team, while Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier lead a now veteran and battle-tested Devils team into a hostile crowd in Buffalo. What better way for the NHL to capitalize on the opening of a brand-new billion-dollar stadium than by having the two new kings of the Eastern Conference play in it in its inaugural year?