Jarmo Kekalainen didn’t just watch the Buffalo Sabres take a big step in 2025-26. He spent the next stretch making a clear bet on what comes next.
After a season that ended the playoff drought, included a first-round win over the rival Boston Bruins, and fell one goal short of the Eastern Conference Final, the Sabres were always going to face a tougher question than celebration: how do they keep this going in 2026-27 and beyond? Kekalainen’s answer has been to trust the young talent already in the building, even after the loss of Alex Tuch.
That departure stings. Tuch brought 33 goals, dependable defensive work, and leadership. But Buffalo is moving forward with a group that looks ready to take on more responsibility, starting with Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, and Konsta Helenius.
Kulich, 22, has the deepest NHL résumé of the three with 75 career games. He opened the season as Buffalo’s de facto top center before a blood clot ended his year after 12 games. The skill is there, along with the finishing touch to stay in a top-six role.
Ostlund, also 22, was the busiest of the trio in 2025-26, appearing in 60 regular-season games. He looked like a real difference-maker in the first-round series against Boston, especially over those three games, before an injury cut short what had been a promising start.
Helenius, just 20, barely got a regular-season runway with nine games, but he made noise when the games mattered most. In the second round, he scored twice and looked like an impact player over four playoff contests.
Kekalainen and head coach Lindy Ruff now have the tricky part: sorting out where all three fit. What isn’t in doubt is their importance. Buffalo needs them to help replace the offense that walked out the door with Tuch.
There’s also Jack Quinn, who could be the wild card in all of this. The winger was the subject of plenty of trade chatter before the season and didn’t exactly quiet it in the first 20 games.
Then he settled in and finished with career highs in goals (20), assists (31), and points (51). A true breakout from Quinn would go a long way toward covering Tuch’s production and easing the load on the younger group.
It would also create a nice problem for Buffalo when it comes time to talk extension. But that’s the kind of issue a team can live with.
The Sabres aren’t exactly a youth-only operation, either. Rasmus Dahlin remains the kind of defenseman who can look like the best in the world on any given night, and Tage Thompson is still one of the league’s most dangerous scorers. Jason Zucker brings top-six experience, while Ryan McLeod, Mattias Samuelsson, Conor Timmins, Conor Sheary, and Sam Carrick each add something different to the mix.
That veteran base matters, because it gives the younger players some cover as they grow into bigger roles.
On paper, Buffalo may not be better than it was a season ago. But the Sabres still look like a real playoff threat. They have depth up front, a defense that could be more balanced with the additions of Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier, and they’re bringing back the goaltending trio that helped steady them last season.
With momentum finally on their side, Buffalo could be set up for a fast start. And if last season proved anything, it’s that once the Sabres get rolling, they’re tough to slow down.
In Other News...
Sabres Offseason Verdict Feels Brutal After Long Awaited Breakthrough
After finally snapping a 15-year playoff drought, Buffalo entered the summer with a chance to build real momentum, but the front office has instead spent much of the offseason reshaping the roster around future assets. General manager Jarmo Keklinen has leaned into draft-pick accumulation and contract relief, with moves involving Michael Kesselring, Bowen Byram, Jordan Greenway, Alex Tuch and Devon Levi signaling a clear direction even if it is not the one fans had hoped would follow the breakthrough.
The quieter part is what has not happened since then. Buffalo explored bigger swings, including a run at Patrick Kane and an attempt to land goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, but neither pursuit came through, and the Sabres have been left without a move that clearly raises the ceiling of a team that just proved it can get back to the postseason. For a fan base that waited so long to get there, the pause has made this offseason feel a lot harsher than the spring celebration did. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Prospects Are In The Spotlight As One Big Decision Looms
The World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario, is set to pull together some of the top young talent from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland, and two Sabres prospects will be right in the middle of the Canadian conversation. Samuel Meloche and Daxon Rudolph were among the 32 players named to Canadas roster, giving Buffalo another chance to watch its pipeline talent measured against the best age-group competition in the game.
Rudolph, the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, enters the week with a strong path toward making the Canadian squad, while Meloche is in the mix for a backup role as he competes with Jack Ivankovic, Lucas Beckman and William Lacelle. For the Sabres, the showcase is more than a summer checkpoint. It is another reminder that their prospects are starting to carry real weight on a stage where roster spots are earned quickly and every decision can ripple into the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Forced Into A New Free Agency Debate After Missing Out
The Sabres went into the summer needing more help up front, and the search for it only got more complicated after one of the markets biggest names came off the board. Buffalo had been tied to Patrick Kane, but with that path closed, the front office is back to weighing how best to add a winger who can bring both scoring touch and a little edge to a lineup that still needs more punch.
One name that has surfaced in that discussion is Eeli Tolvanen, who has built a reputation as a hard-working, physical forward with enough offensive skill to matter in a middle-six role. His recent seasons with Seattle showed a player who can chip in at even strength, contribute on the penalty kill and bring a heavier presence than some of the other options still available, which is exactly the kind of fit Buffalo has to sort through now. [Read more 🡒]