The Buffalo Sabres are banking on growth from within after letting Alex Tuch’s departure create a hole they haven’t filled with a blockbuster trade or a splashy free-agent move. For now, the plan is pretty clear: trust the young forwards already in the system to take a step.
That group is deep enough to make the strategy understandable. Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius all sit in the pipeline as Buffalo tries to sort out who can help cover the missing production. But there’s also obvious danger in asking youth to solve a problem that usually calls for a proven answer.
That’s why Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report floated Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha as a fit for Buffalo if he becomes available during the 2026-27 NHL season.
"Pavel Zacha could be an attractive rental option for the Sabres if younger options like Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich or Konsta Helenius aren't ready for the role. His experience could be as invaluable to the Sabres as his versatility and two-way skills."
B/R NHL writer Lyle Richardson
Zacha is heading into the last year of a four-year, $19 million contract and is set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer unless he signs an extension. His deal also carries an eight-team no-trade clause, and Buffalo’s status on that list is not known.
The 29-year-old from Czechia has put up 407 points, with 155 goals and 252 assists, across 706 games and 11 NHL seasons with Boston and the New Jersey Devils. Last season was his best goal-scoring campaign yet, as he finished with 30 goals and 35 assists for the Bruins.
He’d also address one of Buffalo’s glaring weaknesses. Zacha has won 53.8 percent of his faceoffs over the past three seasons with Boston, while the Sabres finished last in the league in 2025-26 with a 45.9 percent mark at the dot.
Boston’s side of the equation matters too. The Bruins made the playoffs last season and lost to Buffalo in six games in the opening round, and they’ll be trying to get back there again next spring.
That means any Zacha move may not happen until the Bruins know exactly where their season is headed. If they’re in the race, keeping him as their own rental would make plenty of sense.
If he does end up on the market, though, Buffalo checks a lot of boxes.
Still, the Sabres are not in a spot where they need to force the issue right away. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen can reasonably start the season by seeing what his young players can do before paying a steep price for a veteran forward. But that patience may not last long.
The Eastern Conference is crowded, with the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens all standing in the way in the Atlantic, while the Bruins and a possible bounce-back run from the Toronto Maple Leafs add even more pressure. That kind of traffic leaves almost no room to drift, and the race for the final playoff spots could come down to a point or two.
Buffalo just snapped a miserable 14-year postseason drought, and that makes the margin for error even thinner. If the Sabres start slowly, they may not be able to wait until mid-December the way they did last season before making a move.
Kekalainen does have chips to work with, including prized prospect Radim Mrtka and the team’s first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. If the Sabres need a jolt, he’ll have to be willing to spend them.
That could mean a forward like Zacha, or possibly Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck if that situation is still unsettled once the season begins. Either way, Buffalo may reach a point where veteran help becomes necessary.
Kekalainen spent years in Columbus showing he wasn’t afraid to shake up his roster, and he also pushed to land St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas before last season’s deadline. Now he’s guiding a Sabres team that believes its window is opening, and at some point during this season or next summer, the push to get aggressive could arrive fast.
Whether he lands the right piece is another question entirely.
In Other News...
Sabres First Preseason Game Already Raised A Few Roster Questions
Buffalos first preseason look came with the expected reminder that these games are more about sorting through depth than worrying about the scoreboard, and the Sabres 4-1 loss in Pittsburgh fit that script. The roster was mostly an AHL-level group, while the Penguins mixed in NHL and AHL players, giving Buffalo a chance to see which young pieces could handle a tougher pace and which ones might need more seasoning before anything real starts.
Jiri Kulich stood out among the forwards by logging the most ice time and taking the most shots, while Jake Richard added the Sabres lone goal on the power play. There were also rougher nights for Radim Mrtka and Alex Lyon, the kind of early preseason results that can quickly turn a routine tune-up into a few roster questions for the staff to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Already Face A Tough Byram Question In Chicago
Bowen Byram did not take long to make his new team feel good about the trade. In Chicagos first preseason game, the defenseman looked right at home after the Sabres dealt him and Jordan Greenway to the Blackhawks for a package built around draft capital and players, a move Buffalo made with an eye on reshaping the roster rather than leaning on one blue-line anchor.
For the Sabres, the immediate challenge is less about the return and more about life without Byram in the lineup. Buffalo is trying to replace his minutes and impact with a committee approach that includes Olen Zellweger, Louis Crevier and Conor Timmins, but performances like the one Byram just delivered only sharpen the question of whether the Sabres can cover that loss cleanly over a full season. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Scoring Search Could Hinge On A Blue Jackets Cap Crunch
The Sabres are still looking for answers up front after losing key pieces, and their search may be influenced by a cap squeeze in Columbus. The Blue Jackets are expected to manage their payroll after signing restricted free agent center Adam Fantilli, and Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is paying close attention to how that situation unfolds as he weighs ways to help the offense.
For now, though, there is no concrete trade or signing on the table. The sense around the league is that any real movement would come later, with Buffalo keeping tabs on whether Columbus eventually has to make room and whether that opens a door for the Sabres to act when the season is deeper into the schedule. [Read more 🡒]