The Buffalo Sabres spent the summer in near silence, and that quiet may not be an accident.
After losing pieces from the club that made the playoffs, won the Atlantic Division and advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Buffalo has mostly chosen patience over a splashy response. GM Jarmo Kekalainen is banking on a young group - Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund, Zach Benson, Jack Quinn and Jiri Kulich - to take a step and help replace the 44 goals lost with the departures of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram.
For now, the Sabres have a little more than $4 million in cap space, which keeps them flexible if a changing situation elsewhere opens the door. They have been tied for a long time to Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but those odds have dropped since the draft, largely because goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s trade protection has kicked in.
There’s also been no real buzz connecting Buffalo to Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, since the Sabres are not on his three-team trade list and already have plenty of options down the middle. The same goes for RFA blueliners Simon Edvinsson of Detroit and Alexander Nikishin of Carolina. Still, a different opening could come from Columbus.
The Blue Jackets may soon have to make a tough call after signing RFA center Adam Fantilli. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Monday on his 32 Thoughts podcast that once Columbus gets Fantilli under contract, GM Don Waddell will need to map out the rest of the cap picture, and that could mean moving someone out.
That’s where winger Kirill Marchenko enters the conversation. A player Kekalainen drafted in Columbus, Marchenko is entering the final season of his three-year bridge deal at a $3.85 million AAV. He has topped 20 goals every year and set a career high with 31 goals in 2024-25.
Marchenko also made clear over the summer that he did not intend to remain with the Blue Jackets beyond the remaining two years of team control, and he is eligible for arbitration next summer. With his contract looking cheap relative to his production, Waddell has to weigh whether he can afford to extend him, whether Marchenko is willing to sign, or whether the winger is simply headed toward unrestricted free agency in 2028.
Montreal had been floated as a possible landing spot, though the addition of veteran Chris Kreider may have changed that picture. For Buffalo, the need is straightforward: if the young forwards can’t replace Tuch’s scoring, the Sabres may have to find help. The source of that help, though, is most likely to show up later in the season, when both Buffalo and Columbus have a clearer read on where they stand.
In Other News...
Sabres-Senators Just Became A Rivalry Buffalo Can't Ignore
Buffalos schedule already has a few familiar pressure points, but the meetings with Ottawa are starting to feel like something more than just another set of divisional games. The Sabres are coming off a season in which they finished atop the Atlantic Division, and with both clubs gearing up for 2026-27, there is a clear sense that this matchup deserves extra attention from the Buffalo side.
The recent player movement between the organizations has only sharpened the edge, giving every meeting a little more weight than usual. Ottawa also has an extra game against Buffalo this season, which only adds to the sense that these teams will see plenty of each other, and they could end up crossing paths again when the 2027 playoff bracket starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Peyton Krebs Is Suddenly At The Center Of Buffalos Next Big Shift
Peyton Krebs has quietly become one of the more interesting pieces in Buffalos evolving lineup. The Sabres center has taken steady steps forward over the past few seasons, and last year brought career-best production while also reinforcing what the staff has long liked about him: the defensive work, the tenacity and the ability to fit into different roles as the lineup changes.
Since Lindy Ruff returned behind the bench, Krebs has earned more trust and more ice time, which is never a small thing for a player trying to carve out a bigger place on a roster with real expectations. The Sabres have made it clear they want contributors who can help at both ends, and Krebs is starting to look like the kind of player who can push well beyond what was once projected for him, with a chance to become part of a much larger shift in how Buffalo builds its forward group. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Prospects Face A Preseason Fight That Could Change Everything
With Buffalos Opening Night picture mostly set, the attention has shifted to the prospects who will likely begin the year in Rochester and try to force their way into the conversation later. For a few young players, preseason has become less about making a last-second roster push and more about showing the organization their game is moving in the right direction, especially with the Sabres expecting some help from the AHLs Americans to open the season.
Jake Richard, Radim Mrtka and Ryan Johnson are in different stages of that climb, but all three have something to prove before the 2026-27 season arrives. Richards recent play has offered glimpses, Mrtka is still sorting through the demands that come with his development path, and Johnson is trying to show he can handle the next step in a role that could still come into view if Buffalo needs reinforcements. Preseason wont decide everything, but it can make the road to an NHL recall a lot clearer. [Read more 🡒]