Can First-Year Sabre Live Up To Expectations For His Star NHL Dad?

The NHL’s 2025-26 regular season is almost upon us, and here on THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, we’re close to the end of our player-by-player series in which we break down the expectations for every Sabres player during this coming season.

We’ve worked our way through Buffalo’s goalies, blueliners, and most of the Sabres’ top-four lines of forwards. And in this file, we’re looking at the expectations for right winger Josh Doan, who was picked up from the Utah Mammoth in the trade that sent winger J.J. Peterka out of Buffalo.

But let’s focus on Doan, who at age 23 has barely scratched the surface of his potential as an NHLer:

Player Name: Josh Doan

Position: Right Winger

Age: 23

2024-25 Key Statistics: 51 games, seven goals, 19 points, 13:31 average time on ice

2025-26 Salary: $925,000

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2025-26 Expectations: As the son of longtime NHL star Shane Doan, Josh Doan knows what it means to have high expectations hanging over his head. But to be honest, Josh Doan’s early individual numbers don’t make you think he’s as effective as Shane Doan was in his stellar NHL prime.

Still, Josh Doan’s size at 6-foot-2 makes him out to be a big-framed individual, and he’s going to work his tail off in training camp and come out of the chute to force the hand of Sabre coach Lindy Ruff. Doan has to ensure one part of him stands out for the Sabres. And if he can do that, Buffalo management will get a standing ovation for bringing Doan aboard.

Doan’s career-highs as a Utah Mammoth organization member were very modest, but in Buffalo, he could quickly make himself a highly-valued member.  Doan is still in a “show me don’t tell me” mode, but he’s going to have every opportunity to succeed.

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Doan is still finding his legs at the NHL level. He’s also got a chip on his shoulder given that he’s quick been traded early in his career. And given his genetics, Doan has the innate skills teams are looking for in a young player.

If he can harness the snub from Utah and help Buffalo get into a playoff berth this year, Doan will be a fixture for years to come in Buffalo. And the Petterka trade will look much better than it may look early on him Doan’s career.