The Buffalo Sabres are set to keep leaning on young talent, especially with Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram gone next season. But the real health of the organization depends on what comes after that first wave. And in 2026-27, a few prospects will have a chance to reshape their outlooks in a hurry.
The biggest name in that next group is defenseman Daxon Rudolph, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Rudolph is aiming for a quick path to Buffalo and wants to reach the Sabres in 2027-28 after one season at the University of Denver.
But not every prospect in the system has that kind of clean timeline. For several others, the coming season could make the road to the NHL look a lot clearer - or a lot murkier.
Radim Mrtka is one of the most important cases to watch. Buffalo took the 6-foot-6 defenseman with the No. 9 overall pick in last year’s draft, and he made a strong first impression at development camp and training camp. The offensive growth, though, didn’t really show up once he went back to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds.
Mrtka managed only one goal in 48 games with Seattle, playoffs included, which is a modest return for a player with his size and skill set. He did, however, pile up 36 assists.
Now the 19-year-old Czechia native is expected to move on to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where the next step gets more complicated. Amerks coach Michael Leone will decide how much is on his plate, and it will be worth watching whether Mrtka gets special-teams work or is asked to focus mostly on 5-on-5 play early on.
There’s still plenty to like about him. Mrtka’s size, skating and physical edge give him a high ceiling, and his name has even surfaced in trade rumors from time to time.
But pro hockey will bring a tougher test, and the adjustment to a much higher level of competition is the next hurdle. By the back end of the 2026-27 season, Buffalo should have a much better read on where he stands long term.
Brodie Ziemer is in a different spot, but his season matters just as much. After some buzz that he might sign with the Sabres this offseason, the decision was made for him to return to the University of Minnesota. He’ll do it as team captain, and he’ll keep playing a key two-way role for the Golden Gophers.
Ziemer is entering his junior year after making steady progress in his first two seasons. Last year, he put up 36 points in 36 games, scoring 23 goals and adding 13 assists.
He also produced a goal and five assists in five games for Team USA at the World Juniors. The 20-year-old winger fits Buffalo’s preferred style because of his work ethic, which lines up with players like Zach Benson and Josh Doan.
What Buffalo still needs to see is more from his skating and playmaking.
If that part of his game takes another step, Ziemer could become a real weapon for the Sabres’ power play, an area where he has already done damage for Minnesota. Buffalo will need to sign him next summer, or else the 2024 third-round pick could become an unrestricted free agent on June 1, 2028, after his college career ends.
It would be a surprise if the Sabres let a player with that upside get away, so an entry-level contract after the Gophers’ 2026-27 season seems likely. Still, a poor year would complicate that picture.
Jake Richard also enters the season with something to prove, even after taking a big leap through Buffalo’s prospect rankings last year. At UConn, he broke out as a sophomore with 43 points in 34 games, then followed that with 27 points in 38 games as a junior. That dip created some uncertainty about whether he would return for his senior year, but instead he signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Sabres and is expected to spend all of 2026-27 with the Amerks.
For Richard, the key question is simple: which player will Rochester get? The version that looked like a middle-six NHL winger in 2024-25, or the one whose impact faded last season?
The 22-year-old winger has a decent shot and has long been a solid creator, but he still needs to do more of his damage in the most dangerous spots, especially around the crease. That’s an area where he can still grow in the AHL.
Richard’s stock has fallen over the past year, but there’s still time for him to steady the climb and get his path back on track toward Buffalo.
In Other News...
Sabres Prospects Just Got A Ranking Treatment Fans Will Hate
Corey Pronmans annual Top Prospects and Players Under 23 list always draws a reaction, and this years version is no different for Buffalo fans. The new ranking spans 156 names, but the wider conversation around it is less about who made the cut than how the cuts were made, with the list once again drawing criticism for what looks like a heavy lean toward recency and reputation over sustained production.
For the Sabres, that means a few familiar frustrations are already bubbling up. Some young players who have put together real NHL or AHL stretches were slotted lower than expected, while others with thinner rsums were placed ahead of them, a mismatch that has fans re-litigating how these lists are built in the first place. The individual placements are the part that will get debated longest, because the rankings seem to leave plenty of room for disagreement before anyone even gets to the names that were left out. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Prospect Could Quietly Change Buffalos Defensive Depth Picture
Simon-Pier Brunet has already given Buffalo something it can always use more of in the system: a defense-first blue line prospect with size, skating and reach. The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft after four seasons in the QMJHL, and his profile fits the sort of steady, low-maintenance defender that can quietly become more valuable as a depth chart gets tested.
Brunets next step comes at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, where he will try to translate that defensive foundation into a bigger role against NCAA competition. Buffalo still keeps his NHL rights, which gives the organization some flexibility while it waits to see how much more he can add to his game before the discussion turns from long-term project to real depth option. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Are Counting On 3 Young Forwards To Change Everything
The Sabres are heading into the season with a young forward group that could help shape what comes next, and Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius sit at the center of that conversation. Kulichs track record already gives Buffalo a reason to believe he can bring real offense, while Ostlunds first NHL season offered a glimpse of what he might become. Helenius, meanwhile, has only had a limited taste of the league, but the organization sees enough upside to keep him in the mix as part of a broader push toward a faster, deeper attack.
For Buffalo, the appeal is obvious: if even one of these players takes a meaningful step, the ripple effect could be felt throughout the lineup. The challenge is just as clear, though, because each comes with a different layer of uncertainty, from health to availability to how quickly a young player can translate promise into steady NHL impact. The Sabres do not need all three to become stars overnight, but they do need enough of a breakthrough to make this season feel like more than another wait-and-see exercise. [Read more 🡒]