Training camp is coming fast for the Buffalo Sabres, and most of the attention is understandably going to the names that feel like the future: Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier. Add in the established stars like Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, and there’s no shortage of players who can grab headlines.
But the real intrigue often comes from the guys who sit just outside the spotlight. A few veterans and depth pieces have slipped a bit under the radar, and that doesn’t mean they’re short on opportunity. In fact, they could wind up in important roles before long.
Tyson Kozak is one of those players. He spent much of last season anchoring the Sabres’ fourth line, appearing in 46 regular-season games while bringing a physical edge every night.
He finished fourth on the team with 120 hits and added six points. The catch is that the bottom-six picture is crowded now, with Peyton Krebs and Beck Malenstyn back on new contracts and Sam Carrick and Justin Danforth returning from injuries.
Kozak should be in the mix for that last-line job, but he’ll have to win it again in camp.
Danforth is another name worth watching, and he may be even easier to overlook after his season was derailed almost immediately. Buffalo signed him last summer to a two-year contract, but a broken kneecap in the fourth game of the season ended his year before it really got going.
He brings the same kind of game as Kozak - physical, energetic, and relentless on the forecheck - and for a while looked like a possible buyout candidate this summer with an AAV of $1.8 million. The Sabres passed on that route, which suggests the staff still sees a path for him on the roster.
That makes this one of the more interesting battles to follow in the coming weeks.
On the blue line, the Sabres look fairly settled, especially after Zach Metsa’s contract extension. Still, injuries happen, and the question becomes who gets the call from Rochester when they do.
Fans would love to see Radim Mrtka be that guy, but the Sabres are expected to be patient with the former first-round pick. That puts Vsevolod Komarov in the spotlight as the most likely early option.
Komarov was a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and has spent the last two seasons in Rochester. His numbers dipped a bit last season, when he posted 11 points in 55 games and a minus-2 rating, after putting up 16 points in 69 games with a plus-7 mark in 2024-25.
He also gives Buffalo something it doesn’t have much of on the current roster: a right-handed defenseman. That alone won’t be enough, but training camp gives him a chance to make his case for when the Sabres need help later on.
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Former Sabres Piece Already Facing Heat In Washingtons Long-Term Debate
Alex Tuchs move out of Buffalo and into Washington has already become part of a much bigger conversation than a simple change of scenery. The former Sabres winger landed an eight-year, $84 million deal through a sign-and-trade, and his contract now sits alongside Boone Jenners four-year, $23 million free-agent pact and Pierre-Luc Dubois eight-year extension as the kind of long-term commitment that can define a roster for years. For a Capitals team trying to shape its next stretch under Spencer Carbery, the price tags are as much a storyline as the players themselves.
The debate is less about the ink on the contracts than what comes next, because each deal will be judged by whether the production matches the commitment. Tuch brings the kind of familiarity and versatility that made him attractive, but Washingtons long-term discussion is already turning toward whether these expensive bets will look smart in hindsight or become the contracts fans point to when the lineup starts to feel top-heavy. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face One Big Blue Line Question After June Trades
The Sabres spent June reshaping their blue line, sending out Bowen Byram and Michael Kesselring while bringing in Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier to keep the defense stocked. With Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson returning, the organization still has a familiar backbone in place, but the trades made it clear Buffalo wanted more options and a different mix on the back end heading into the new season.
Jarmo Keklinen has already pointed to the challenge of fitting the newcomers into roles that make sense, and Zellweger has talked about what he can bring to the group. The bigger question now is not whether the Sabres have enough defensemen, but how the pieces will settle once camp starts and which of the new arrivals can carve out the kind of job that actually sticks. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face A Goalie Decision That Could Backfire Fast
Last season, the Sabres leaned on a three-goalie setup when injuries forced Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Eric Comrie and Dustin Tokarski into action at different times, and the arrangement helped Buffalo buy time instead of rushing anyone back too soon. It was a practical answer to a messy year, one that gave the coaching staff more flexibility and, at least for stretches, helped keep the crease stable enough to function.
Lindy Ruff has made clear he likes the idea of carrying three goalies again, especially with the new NHL CBA now requiring teams to have an emergency backup in place. Buffalo has already filled that role with Jack McMcaughton, which only adds another layer to a decision that could affect the roster in more ways than one as the team tries to balance readiness, health and the realities of moving goalies around. [Read more 🡒]