The Sabres’ scoring slowdown has put a spotlight on a place Buffalo might not have expected to lean so soon: Rochester.
After finishing fifth in the NHL in goals per game last season at 3.45 and snapping the league’s longest playoff drought, Buffalo has opened this year at 23rd with 2.93 goals per game. That drop has only sharpened the conversation around the forward group, and while a big swing on the trade market has been floated - including the Detroit Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin as a rumored target - that doesn’t look like the path right now.
So if the Sabres want a quick lift, the Rochester Americans may be the more realistic answer. Through the AHL club’s first 11 games, several forwards have been producing at a high level, and three names stand out most.
Matthew Peca has led the way with 14 points, including five goals and nine assists. Signed to an AHL deal over the summer, the 33-year-old was brought in for veteran presence, and he’s delivered that while scoring at a 92-point pace.
The undersized Canadian, listed at 5-foot-9 and 183 pounds, spent most of his pro career in the AHL after a strong four-year run at Quinnipiac. His best season came with the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2024-25, when he posted 63 points in 68 games.
Peca has 83 NHL games on his resume, but he would need an NHL contract before he could join Buffalo, which makes him a less likely recall option unless his production keeps climbing.
Jason Polin has been one of the more surprising scorers in the group. He has 11 points, with seven goals and four assists, after arriving as an undrafted free agent with the Colorado Avalanche in 2023 following a breakout senior year at Western Michigan, where he put up 47 points in 39 games.
Over the last three seasons, he appeared in 13 games for Colorado and spent most of his time with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Polin, a right-shot winger, has usually been more of a defensively minded forward, and his previous high with the Eagles was 21 points.
His 31.8% shooting percentage points to a hot streak that probably won’t last forever, but Buffalo doesn’t need him to become a star. It just needs someone who can bring energy, work around the crease and create some ugly goals.
Trevor Kuntar rounds out the group with 10 points, four goals and six assists. His path started in the Buffalo Jr.
Sabres program before moving on to the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms and Boston College. The Boston Bruins took him in the third round in 2020, and he joined the Sabres organization in 2025.
The Buffalo native already has one NHL appearance, making his debut last December and skating just over five minutes in a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. He also scored 21 goals for the Amerks last season.
At 25, Kuntar looks like a strong candidate for another brief call-up down the line in 2026-27, especially if Buffalo wants another high-motor forward who can crash the net and create second- and third-chance opportunities.
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Buffalo heads into Fridays home date with Columbus needing a cleaner night at KeyBank Center, where the Sabres have a chance to steady things after a stretch that has left them sitting at 7-5-3 and seventh in the Atlantic Division. The Blue Jackets arrive at 7-7-0 and sixth in the Metropolitan, which makes this one of those early-season matchups that can either help a team settle in or deepen the questions that have been hanging around.
The Sabres recent form has been mixed enough to keep the focus on details, from special teams to the way key players are handling the workload and the injury picture. There are also a few individual trends worth watching as Buffalo tries to find a reset on home ice, and this one feels like the kind of game where the next step matters as much as the result itself. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Waiver Move Puts Jack Rathbone's Next Step In Doubt
Jack Rathbones path with the Sabres hit another snag when Buffalo placed the defenseman on waivers, a move that adds uncertainty to what has already been a frustrating season. Rathbone, who was originally drafted by the Vancouver Canucks and has played all 28 of his NHL games with Vancouver, has been trying to work his way back into game shape after an injury kept him out of regular-season action this year.
If he clears waivers, the Sabres could send him to Rochester, where he would continue his season with the AHL affiliate rather than getting an immediate look in Buffalo. For a player still trying to reestablish himself at the NHL level, the next step matters, and this one now depends on whether another team decides to take a chance before the Sabres can make that assignment. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Norris Trade Chatter Puts Sabres' Slow Start Under A Harsh Light
Buffalos uneven first 15 games have put a spotlight on a familiar problem: the secondary scoring has gone quiet, and several forwards have not come close to matching last seasons production. There are a few bright spots in the lineup, but the overall offensive rhythm has been inconsistent enough to leave the Sabres searching for answers while the standings start to harden around them.
Josh Norris has become part of that conversation, not because of what he has done, but because of what his presence now represents in a season that has not found its footing. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has already signaled that roster changes could be on the table, and with the offense sputtering, the Sabres may have to decide whether patience is enough or whether the next move has to come from outside the current core. [Read more 🡒]