The Sabres have spent the past year and change doing the thing they once struggled to do: keep their young talent in place. That makes Jack Quinn stand out even more. Buffalo has locked up much of its young core, but Quinn is still waiting on his next contract, and he’s the most obvious unresolved piece in the picture.
There’s a reason the Sabres may be taking their time. Quinn only became eligible for an extension two months ago, so this isn’t a case of Buffalo dragging its feet for no reason.
Even so, with Noah Ostlund now extended, Quinn is the lone member of the young group without long-term security. Louis Crevier is unsigned beyond this season too, but his situation is different after being acquired in the Bowen Byram trade.
The Sabres may want more time to evaluate how he fits before making a decision.
Quinn is heading into the final year of his two-year, $6.75MM deal, and he won’t become an RFA until July 1st, 2027. His latest season gave Buffalo something to chew on.
He put up 20 goals and 31 assists in 82 games, all career highs, and for the first time he showed the kind of scoring touch that has always been part of the projection. The question now is how much more there is beyond that.
Was this the beginning of a real jump, or the high-water mark?
Health is part of that conversation too. Quinn answered one of the biggest questions from last season by staying in the lineup every night, playing all 82 games.
Before that, the Cobden, Ontario, native had appeared in only 176 games over his first three NHL seasons, averaging fewer than 60 per year. Injuries cut him down to 27 games in 2023-24, even though he played at least 74 games in two of those earlier seasons.
Buffalo has to decide whether that’s a finished concern or a warning sign that still matters.
The comparison with Zach Benson is hard to ignore. Benson recently signed a seven-year, $7.5MM contract after a 43-point season and a strong playoff run that included nine points in 13 games.
Quinn is older at 24, was drafted eighth overall in 2020, and just finished a 51-point season. Benson is 21, was the 13th pick in 2023, and has the edge in perceived stability thanks to his two-way play and postseason showing.
Quinn has been the better offensive producer so far, but Buffalo may still view Benson as the safer bet. That raises the obvious question: could Quinn’s next number end up above Benson’s AAV?
Noah Ostlund’s new deal adds another layer. He just signed for eight years at $6.6MM per season after producing 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games at age 22.
That’s not the same offensive level Quinn just reached, which makes Buffalo’s patience even more interesting. The Sabres may simply want to be sure Quinn is who they think he is.
They could also be trying to buy low, or even keeping the door open to using him as a trade chip.
There’s risk either way. If Quinn takes another step and lands in the 70-point range, his price tag will climb fast.
If he explodes into a season with 30 goals and 70 points and adds a strong playoff showing, he could push himself into a different salary tier altogether, with $8MM-$9MM potentially in play. That would tighten Buffalo’s long-term cap picture.
At the same time, the Sabres do have another path. They could bridge him next summer, since he won’t be eligible for unrestricted free agency until 2027.
For a team that has spent years getting criticized for failing to retain young players, this is a very different era. Buffalo is building a structure now, and Quinn has to fit into it somehow.
For now, though, there’s no need for the Sabres to force the issue. They have a three-year runway and plenty of uncertainty around what Quinn ultimately becomes.
They can wait, see if he grows into the player they want, or decide later whether he’s worth the investment. If he breaks out again, he’ll make himself a lot of money.
If not, Buffalo may be able to get him on a number that looks a lot friendlier than it would today.
In Other News...
Sabres Roster Battle Just Got More Serious Than Fans Realized
The Sabres Blue & Gold Scrimmage offered a first real look at a roster mix that included NHL regulars and some AHL hopefuls, a useful checkpoint with the preseason set to begin Monday in Pittsburgh. Several players found the net in the scrimmage and a postgame shootout, giving Buffalo a chance to sort through competition on the fly while Lindy Ruff kept the focus on evaluation in a setting that looked and felt closer to game speed than a typical September workout.
Ruff also pointed to the new collective bargaining agreement as a factor in how the club can manage its preseason looks, and that matters for a roster still trying to sort out its depth chart. With Buffalo navigating limited exhibition reps for certain veterans, every shift has a little more weight than fans may have assumed, and the race for spots looks like it will be decided quickly once the games start counting toward the preseason record. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Camp Battle Could Reshape Buffalos Top Six Fast
Lindy Ruff is spending camp with a rare kind of problem in front of him, the sort coaches usually welcome because it gives them options everywhere else. The Sabres have a center group that can also slide to the wing, which gives Ruff a lot of flexibility as he pieces together lines and looks for ways to help Buffalo get cleaner possession off the draw.
That versatility is already showing up in practice, where Tage Thompson, Josh Norris, Noah Ostlund and Sam Carrick were taking turns down the middle while Ryan McLeod, Peyton Krebs and others worked on the wing. It leaves the Sabres with plenty of room to experiment, but it also means the battle for the best fit in the top six could move quickly once camp decisions start getting real. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Quinn Is Forcing His Way Into A Bigger Sabres Role
Jack Quinn has spent Sabres camp making the kind of impression that can change a seasons conversation fast. After looking lively in the Blue & Gold Scrimmage, where he chipped in a goal and an assist, the winger has carried that momentum into a camp that has drawn plenty of attention around Buffalos younger core. Coach Lindy Ruff has already pointed to Quinns progress from a year ago, saying the forward has taken another step forward.
With Quinn now entering the final year of his contract, the timing matters as much as the performance. The Sabres are looking for more offense and more consistency from the lineup, and Quinn appears to be pushing his way toward a larger opportunity in both the everyday rotation and special teams. For a player trying to turn a strong camp into a bigger season, the next question is how much of that expanded trust he can turn into real game-time responsibility. [Read more 🡒]