Jack Quinn is making noise at Buffalo Sabres camp, and it’s happening fast.
For a player who seemed to get buried a little in the summer conversation, Quinn has forced his way back into the spotlight over the first few practices and then again in Saturday’s Blue & Gold Scrimmage, where he posted a goal and an assist. The Sabres were quick to notice, and so was Lindy Ruff.
After the scrimmage, Ruff called the line of Noah Ostlund, Zach Benson, and Jack Quinn “probably their best line today.” When asked more directly about Quinn and whether he has looked different in camp than he did a year ago, Ruff didn’t hesitate.
"I do. I think he has made another step and I think this is just a small sample size but the first two practices and today were really good days for him," Ruff said.
That’s exactly the kind of response Sabres fans have been waiting for from the former first-round pick. Quinn has flashed before, but this camp has brought something sharper.
Through 178 NHL games, he has 97 points - 39 goals and 58 assists - and last season was his best yet, with 20 goals and 51 points. Now he’s putting himself in position to build on that.
The early signs point to a bigger role. Based on the scrimmage, Ostlund-Benson-Quinn looks like a strong candidate to become Buffalo’s second line.
Quinn also appears to be working his way onto the Sabres’ top power-play unit, too, after practice on Friday. That group includes Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Benson, and Doan, so sticking there would give Quinn a real chance to top his production from last season.
There’s also timing on his side. Quinn is in the final year of his contract and will become a restricted free agent after this season. If he keeps producing and earns more ice time, he’ll have a chance to put himself in line for a much bigger deal before next summer.
Ruff was careful to keep the temperature down, and he should be. It’s still only camp, and Buffalo hasn’t faced another team yet. But with questions surrounding how the Sabres might replace Alex Tuch, Quinn’s early play has been one of the clearest bright spots so far.
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 🡒]
Jiri Kulich Just Gave The Sabres An Early Camp Lift
Jiri Kulichs return to a Sabres scrimmage this week was the kind of early-camp sight that can steady a room. It was his first intrasquad action with Buffalo since Nov. 1, and after a long stretch away from the ice, the young forward looked relieved to be back in the flow of practice and back in a setting that felt far closer to normal hockey life.
Kulich had the kind of quiet, useful session that coaches notice, even if it does not come with a box score attached. Lindy Ruff said he looked comfortable and made some noticeable plays, which matters for a player trying to re-establish himself after a long interruption and for a Sabres team that is always watching for lineup depth to start taking shape. [Read more 🡒]