The Sabres head into training camp with a forward group that looks deeper, younger and a whole lot less predictable than it did a year ago. Alex Tuch is gone after leaving for Washington, but Buffalo’s offseason message never changed: there’s enough talent in-house to cover the loss.
That confidence starts with the core that’s back. Tage Thompson remains the centerpiece, and the Sabres also retained Zach Benson, Beck Malenstyn and Peyton Krebs on long-term deals while bringing Conor Sheary back on a free-agent contract. Add in the continued rise of Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich, and Buffalo believes it has the pieces to stay in playoff territory up front.
“I believe in (the) growth in those young players, that they’re going to get to the next level just by getting a year more experienced, older, stronger, quicker, all those things,” said general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen. “So, I think you’re going to see some of these guys gravitate to the opportunity that was left there by Alex Tuch’s departure, and we’ll be fine.”
The biggest question now is how all those pieces fit when camp opens.
One of the first things to watch is the top line. Thompson has spent the last couple seasons bouncing between center and wing, and with Tuch no longer around, there’s at least a chance he opens the year on the right side.
One possibility is Zach Benson, Josh Norris and Thompson together. That trio opened the 2025 preseason and carried into opening night before Norris’ injury changed the plan.
The fit makes sense: Norris can drive play through the neutral zone, Benson works to win pucks back, and both can feed Thompson in scoring areas. Buffalo clearly saw top-line-center upside when it traded for Norris, and after he put up 34 points (13+21) in 44 games in his first season with the club, he may get another shot to show it.
Another option is Benson, Kulich and Thompson. Kulich missed most of last season because of a blood clot, so the question there is how fast he gets back to NHL pace. Ruff has already made it clear he likes what that trio can do.
“A year ago, when we finished the last 20 games, he was the No. 1 center playing against every top line. He was on a line with Benson and Thompson, and we went [12-7-1]," Ruff said this May, reflecting on the end of the 2024-25 season.
“It just told me this guy can play against anybody. He can outskate guys.
He transported pucks out of the zone. Lethal shot that was scoring big goals.
And that threesome was dominating other teams and playing other teams’ top lines night in, night out.”
There’s also the group that sparked Buffalo’s turnaround last season: Peyton Krebs, Thompson and Josh Doan. That line clicked during the western road trip last December and stayed together for most of 14 games.
In that stretch, the Sabres went 12-2-0, with Thompson posting 8+6, Krebs 3+5 and Doan 4+3. Over the season, they logged 183 minutes together at 5-on-5 and controlled 54 percent of the expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Beyond the line combinations, Buffalo has another area to clean up: faceoffs. The Sabres won just 45.9 percent of their draws in the regular season, worst in the NHL, and finished at 45.7 percent in the playoffs.
Sam Carrick should help there. In 13 games before his late-season arm injury, he won 57.3 percent of his faceoffs, including 60.3 percent in the defensive zone. Acquired before the trade deadline, the 34-year-old quickly became Ruff’s most trusted faceoff option and looks set to anchor the fourth line at center.
Norris should also give Buffalo a lift after winning 49.5 percent in the regular season and 56.3 percent in the playoffs. Justin Danforth, who has won 49.8 percent for his career, is expected back as a depth piece after a kneecap injury limited him to four games last season.
The Sabres probably won’t become a faceoff machine overnight, but even a climb toward the middle of the league would matter, especially on the power play.
That unit finished 21st in the NHL last season at 19.5 percent, even with Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin locked into the top group. The problem was consistency around them. At its best, Buffalo won puck battles, held the zone and worked the puck low instead of funneling everything through Dahlin at the point.
Benson and Doan should both get more chances after creating some strong goals last season. Ostlund also flashed as a possible fit on the right side in limited action thanks to his passing and solid shot. Kulich’s heavy shot makes him another candidate, while Norris and Jason Zucker bring proven power-play value of their own.
That leaves the Sabres with plenty of options, and plenty of competition. If Buffalo carries three goalies and seven defensemen, only 13 forward spots are available for 16 players before injuries are even part of the conversation. The next few weeks will sort out who starts in Rochester, where the young centers fit and what the opening-night lines will look like.
As Kekäläinen put it: “We have a very positive problem: We don’t know where to put every player.”
In Other News...
Colten Ellis Has A Real Chance To Change Buffalos Goalie Plans
Training camp is about to put the Sabres goaltending picture under a spotlight, and Colten Ellis suddenly sits in the middle of it. Buffalo already has three netminders on the roster, with Ellis joining Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and the young goalie is arriving with a chance to make his case after finishing last season with a winning record. At 25, he is the youngest of the group, which makes the next few weeks about more than just reps and preseason work. It could shape how the Sabres view their crease for the present and the future.
Ellis is also at a crossroads because his performance could influence more than playing time. Buffalo still has to sort through its rotation plans while keeping an eye on looming free agency for both Ellis and Lyon, and the organizations wider goalie search adds another layer of pressure to every camp session. If Ellis takes advantage of the opportunity, he could force the Sabres to rethink what they want from the position and possibly alter the way they approach the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Former Sabres Defenseman Is Back In Trade Rumors Again
The Bruins have too many defensemen and not enough room to keep everyone happy, which is why Henri Jokiharju has surfaced in trade chatter again as training camp approaches. Bostons blue line depth has created a squeeze, and Jokiharju is one of the names drawing interest along with Mason Lohrei as clubs around the league start sorting out their own rosters.
For Sabres fans, the angle is familiar even if the destination is not. Jokiharju was once part of Buffalos defense mix, and his name being linked to movement again naturally invites a second look, but the Sabres may not be in position to join the bidding. Buffalos recent Zach Metsa extension points toward a group that already feels more settled on defense, which could leave the former Sabres blueliner in the kind of market where one teams surplus becomes another teams opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Are Setting A Brutal Standard For These Sabres
The Sabres are coming off a season that should have raised expectations in Buffalo. They finished first in the Atlantic Division in 2025-26 and got through the first round of the playoffs, only to run into Montreal in the second round and come up short. Now the Canadiens are back with few roster changes for 2026-27, which leaves Buffalo staring at a familiar benchmark and a division rival that looks built to keep asking the same questions.
For the Sabres, the path to getting past Montreal starts with areas that have to improve, especially in goal. The gap is not just about chasing the Canadiens in the standings or trying to match them shift for shift, but proving Buffalo can handle a team that has already shown it can stand in the way when the games matter most. If that matchup ends the same way again, the pressure to shake up the roster is going to get a lot harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]