Jiri Kulich may end up being the Sabres’ most important swing piece heading into 2026-27.
Buffalo is counting on a wave of young players to keep moving forward, with Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Konsta Helenius, and Noah Ostlund all mentioned as guys who need to take that next step as the team tries to replace Alex Tuch. But the player who could tilt the season most is the one who has been easy to overlook: Kulich.
The former first-round pick barely played last year after dealing with a blood clot, but that issue is now behind him. Lindy Ruff said on WGR550 that Kulich is back in town, has been skating, and looks good. “A guy that was missing that I had a long conversation with yesterday, that is in town and he looks great; he's been skating is [Jiri] Kulich,” Ruff said.
That update matters because Kulich was already pushing toward a bigger role before his season got derailed. Josh Norris opened last season as the top center, got hurt in the first game, and Kulich stepped in. He only managed 12 games before the health setback forced the Sabres to adjust again and eventually move Tage Thompson to the middle.
Now the Sabres head into training camp with the 1C spot up for grabs, and Kulich is right in the mix with Norris and others. If he can pick up where he left off late in the 2024-25 season, he gives Buffalo the highest ceiling of the group.
In 62 games that season, Kulich scored 15 goals and added nine assists, but the raw totals only tell part of the story. He seemed to make the players around him better, especially Thompson.
The two shared the ice for more than 352 minutes, and the results were strong: a 59.57% goal share and a 54.76% expected goal share, according to Natural Stat Trick. By contrast, Thompson posted a 50.70% goal share and a 50.51% expected goal share in more than 730 minutes without Kulich.
The fit looked even stronger when Zach Benson joined them on the line. With that trio together, the expected goal share climbed to 56.47%.
None of that guarantees the same look will work again, but it was enough for the coaching staff to have reason to revisit it in preseason. In the end, everything points back to Kulich. If he gets back to form, Buffalo could have a top line that gives this season real punch.
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