Ryan McLeod’s place in the Buffalo Sabres’ lineup has become a talking point heading into the 2026-27 NHL season, but one thing is clear: he’s not built for the fourth line.
That idea may show up in some early depth-chart predictions, but it doesn’t match what McLeod has done since Buffalo brought him in during a July 2024 trade with the Edmonton Oilers. Over his first two seasons with the Sabres, the 26-year-old Canadian forward has put up 107 points, with 34 goals and 73 assists, in 160 games while seeing limited power-play time.
Still, the end of last season changed the tone around him. McLeod managed only six points in Buffalo’s final 16 regular-season games, then added five points with a minus-seven rating in 13 playoff games. That stretch raised fresh questions about where he fits long term.
The caution flag, though, is obvious: it’s a small sample. McLeod’s broader profile remains strong.
Based on a three-year weighted average from HockeyStats.com, the 6-foot-3 center sits in the 77th percentile of NHL forwards in projected wins above replacement. His even-strength numbers are especially encouraging, with offense in the 84th percentile and defense in the 88th.
There was also a stretch last season when he looked like exactly the kind of center Buffalo wanted. The McLeod-Jason Zucker-Jack Quinn line was one of the league’s most effective groups in the month after the Olympic break, and Lindy Ruff regularly opened periods with them on the ice. That was a clear sign of trust from the coaching staff.
But the Sabres’ offense disappeared when it mattered most. That same trio, along with the first line of Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, went quiet in a second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, a series Buffalo lost in seven games.
The roster changes around McLeod also matter. Buffalo has not made any major additions up front this summer, which puts more pressure on internal growth to replace the offense that left with Tuch. The Sabres finished fifth in the league with 288 goals last season, but repeating that level now looks less certain after Tuch went to the Washington Capitals and defenseman Bowen Byram joined the Chicago Blackhawks.
That’s why the Sabres’ young players will be under the microscope in camp and the preseason. Ruff is expected to experiment with different combinations, including some positional shuffling. The biggest wrinkle will be testing Thompson at both center and wing, even though the coaching staff has generally preferred him on the wing to hide his defensive and faceoff issues.
For now, the most workable projection keeps Thompson in the middle and puts together a lineup that can shift once injuries hit, which is likely to happen before Opening Night against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 1.
In that setup, Noah Ostlund would ideally be somewhere in the top nine, though he fits best as a middle-six winger who can handle defensive work. If injuries force changes, Ostlund would move up, Sam Carrick would slide into the fourth-line center role and Peyton Krebs would move to the wing.
Buffalo’s main reserve options up front are Carrick, Justin Danforth, Tyson Kozak and Conor Sheary.
McLeod, meanwhile, makes the most sense back alongside Zucker and Quinn. That’s the spot where Buffalo can try to rediscover some of what that line produced before its late-season drop-off, and it’s also the best fit for McLeod’s game. He’s a responsible center who can handle penalty-kill minutes and pile up useful work without needing to be a point-a-game scorer.
The Sabres are going to need scoring spread throughout the lineup if they’re going to make up for not having one of the NHL’s most explosive top lines. McLeod is still a key piece of that puzzle, especially with his contract running through 2028-29.
The fan perception may have shifted after the playoffs, but the track record is still there. He’s not a fourth-line player.
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