The Buffalo Sabres may still have room for one more swing before training camp, but it would take a chain of moves to get there.
Chris Kreider is suddenly on the market after the Anaheim Ducks placed him on waivers for the purpose of contract termination, and Buffalo has already surfaced as a possible landing spot. Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report listed the Sabres among seven teams that could make sense for the veteran winger, who is reportedly hoping for a return to the Eastern Conference.
"Kreider has experience with Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who was an assistant with the Rangers for three years while he was there, so that connection is enough to put the Sabers on the radar," Yerdon wrote. "But what Kreider can do at even strength and on the power play are reasons enough for Buffalo to want him regardless."
On paper, the fit is easy to understand. Kreider, 35, put up 50 points with the Ducks last season, scoring 22 goals and adding 28 assists in 75 games. He also produced 17 points on the power play, which stands out for a Sabres team that has dealt with frustration in that area in recent years.
His résumé is even stronger than that one-season stat line suggests. Kreider spent the first 13 years of his NHL career with the Rangers, where he built a reputation as a dependable two-way winger. His best season came in 2021-22, when he piled up a career-high 77 points and led the league with 26 power-play goals.
Still, Buffalo’s interest is wrapped up in everything else going on around the roster. The Sabres already have 16 forwards projected to compete for 13 active spots once camp opens, which makes another addition tricky unless there’s a corresponding move out.
That’s where the bigger picture comes in. Buffalo has been open to giving younger forwards such as Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius a chance to carve out larger roles after Alex Tuch was sent to the Washington Capitals in a sign-and-trade deal. At the same time, the Sabres could also free up space by moving one or two roster forwards in a blockbuster trade with Winnipeg for Connor Hellebuyck.
That possibility has kept Buffalo in the middle of a lot of summer noise. The Sabres previously made a push to land Hellebuyck before the 2026 NHL Draft, and the Jets goalie went public with his trade request. If that kind of deal finally came together, it could open the door for Kreider as well.
This wouldn’t be the first time Buffalo’s offseason plans hinged on that sort of domino effect. Earlier in the summer, the Sabres were heavily linked to Buffalo native Patrick Kane, with the same basic logic: if a Hellebuyck trade happened, room would open up. Those talks faded, and Kane ended up returning to the Chicago Blackhawks.
That’s why Kreider feels more like a possibility than a prediction. Buffalo likely won’t be the destination unless several things break the right way, including a path to playing time for Ostlund, Kulich and Helenius.
Kekalainen has made his aim clear since taking over the front office last December: build something that lasts. He doesn’t want last season’s playoff return to be a one-time event, and the Sabres’ quieter approach this summer fits that mindset. If the right move isn’t there, the safer play is to keep developing the young forwards already in the system.
For now, the most likely outcome is still Buffalo opening camp with its current group. If that happens, the Sabres would still have around $5 million in salary-cap space for in-season moves, per PuckPedia.
But the situation is fluid, and Buffalo has positioned itself to jump if the market shifts again. If Hellebuyck’s price comes down and Kreider is still available, the Sabres could suddenly look a lot more dangerous than they did a few weeks ago.
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Sabres Face One Big Blue Line Question After June Trades
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Jarmo Keklinen has already pointed to the challenge of fitting the newcomers into roles that make sense, and Zellweger has talked about what he can bring to the group. The bigger question now is not whether the Sabres have enough defensemen, but how the pieces will settle once camp starts and which of the new arrivals can carve out the kind of job that actually sticks. [Read more 🡒]