The Buffalo Sabres head into 2026-27 with a familiar challenge: replacing the production of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram while hoping their younger players keep growing. But that’s only part of the story. Even if the kids take a step, not everyone on the roster is likely to repeat last season’s numbers.
A few Sabres are staring at a tougher statistical path this time around, and the reasons are pretty clear. Role changes, age, and past performance all point to some regression.
Peyton Krebs is one of the first names that stands out. Buffalo locked him into a new four-year deal this summer after he reached restricted free agency, and his timing couldn’t have been better. He posted career highs in goals with 12, assists with 27, and a plus-minus of +13 last season.
That jump was helped by opportunity. With the Sabres dealing with injuries, especially early in the year, Krebs spent a good chunk of time on the top line alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.
That kind of runway won’t be there if Buffalo is healthier this season. More likely, Krebs drops back to his fourth-line role, where the scoring chances simply won’t be as plentiful.
He’ll still matter, just in a different way - by bringing energy, winning battles on the forecheck, and helping on the penalty kill.
Jason Zucker looks like another candidate for a downturn. He’s entering the final year of his contract and will turn 35 this upcoming season, and the signs of decline are already there.
After putting up 53 points in 2024-25, he finished with 45 this past season. His assists also fell from 32 to 21.
His ice time dipped, too. In the regular season, he went from 16 minutes to 15:37, and in Buffalo’s 13 playoff games, that number dropped to 14:33.
With younger players pushing for Top 6 minutes, Zucker’s lane seems narrower now. A third-line role with power-play duty feels like the most likely setup, and that kind of usage usually means fewer points.
A second straight decline would not be a surprise.
Then there’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who may be under more pressure than anyone on the roster after a summer full of rumors that Buffalo was chasing Connor Hellebuyck. The issue here is simple: his track record suggests swings from one year to the next.
Over his last four NHL seasons, Luukkonen has alternated strong years with rough ones. In 2025-26 and 2023-24, he finished with a goals-against average below 2.60 and a save percentage close to .910. In 2024-25 and 2022-23, those numbers moved the other way, with the goals-against average climbing above 3.20 and the save percentage dipping below .900.
Buffalo reached the playoffs in part because Luukkonen and Alex Lyon handled the regular season well. If the Sabres are going to get back there, they’ll need something close to that again.
In Other News...
Colten Ellis Has A Real Chance To Change Buffalos Goalie Plans
Training camp is about to put the Sabres goaltending picture under a spotlight, and Colten Ellis suddenly sits in the middle of it. Buffalo already has three netminders on the roster, with Ellis joining Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and the young goalie is arriving with a chance to make his case after finishing last season with a winning record. At 25, he is the youngest of the group, which makes the next few weeks about more than just reps and preseason work. It could shape how the Sabres view their crease for the present and the future.
Ellis is also at a crossroads because his performance could influence more than playing time. Buffalo still has to sort through its rotation plans while keeping an eye on looming free agency for both Ellis and Lyon, and the organizations wider goalie search adds another layer of pressure to every camp session. If Ellis takes advantage of the opportunity, he could force the Sabres to rethink what they want from the position and possibly alter the way they approach the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Former Sabres Defenseman Is Back In Trade Rumors Again
The Bruins have too many defensemen and not enough room to keep everyone happy, which is why Henri Jokiharju has surfaced in trade chatter again as training camp approaches. Bostons blue line depth has created a squeeze, and Jokiharju is one of the names drawing interest along with Mason Lohrei as clubs around the league start sorting out their own rosters.
For Sabres fans, the angle is familiar even if the destination is not. Jokiharju was once part of Buffalos defense mix, and his name being linked to movement again naturally invites a second look, but the Sabres may not be in position to join the bidding. Buffalos recent Zach Metsa extension points toward a group that already feels more settled on defense, which could leave the former Sabres blueliner in the kind of market where one teams surplus becomes another teams opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Are Setting A Brutal Standard For These Sabres
The Sabres are coming off a season that should have raised expectations in Buffalo. They finished first in the Atlantic Division in 2025-26 and got through the first round of the playoffs, only to run into Montreal in the second round and come up short. Now the Canadiens are back with few roster changes for 2026-27, which leaves Buffalo staring at a familiar benchmark and a division rival that looks built to keep asking the same questions.
For the Sabres, the path to getting past Montreal starts with areas that have to improve, especially in goal. The gap is not just about chasing the Canadiens in the standings or trying to match them shift for shift, but proving Buffalo can handle a team that has already shown it can stand in the way when the games matter most. If that matchup ends the same way again, the pressure to shake up the roster is going to get a lot harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]