The Sabres didn’t land the headliner in the Bowen Byram deal, but Louis Crevier is the kind of piece that can quietly matter a lot.
Buffalo picked up the defenseman earlier this offseason when Byram went to the Chicago Blackhawks, and there’s a real reason to pay attention to what Crevier brings. He just turned in a breakout season with Chicago in 2025-26, and the numbers jump off the page: 78 games, seven goals, 18 assists, 25 points, 95 blocks and 124 hits. That’s a blue-liner who can chip in offensively while also bringing plenty of edge.
For the Sabres, that matters. If Crevier carries that same mix of production and physical play into Buffalo, he has a chance to be a useful addition right away.
There’s also room for more. Crevier is only 25, which means he’s still early in his NHL run and could keep climbing as he gets more reps. If that progression continues, he could work his way into a key role in the Sabres’ top four.
And then there’s the frame. At 6-foot-8, Crevier is one of the biggest defensemen in the league, and a big right-shot defender who throws his weight around is always going to have value. That combination gives Buffalo something different on the back end.
So while he may not have been the centerpiece of the trade, Crevier has plenty going for him. If his breakout year was a sign of what’s coming next, the Sabres may have added an important blueliner.
In Other News...
The Jack Eichel Decision That Could Haunt Sabres Fans Again
The Sabres old Jack Eichel dilemma still has a way of resurfacing, especially when the conversation turns from what Buffalo lost to what might have happened if the franchise had taken a different path in 2021. In this version of events, Eichel gets back on the ice in time to matter right away, and the team spends the 2021-22 season with its franchise center back in the lineup instead of watching from afar.
Jack Eichels presence would have changed the shape of the roster and likely the direction of the rebuild, but it also would not have guaranteed a clean escape from the same long-running problems that followed Buffalo for years. The more interesting question is whether keeping him would have bought the Sabres a little more time without actually changing the end result, or whether the organization would still have found itself headed toward another reset down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres First Round Pick Embodies The Identity Buffalo Keeps Chasing
Ilia Morozov arrived at Miami (Ohio) as a 17-year-old and spent his freshman season showing why Buffalo was willing to take a swing on him in the first round. The Russian center put up 20 points in 36 NCAA games, a solid start for a player still early in his development, and the Sabres made him the 20th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. For a team still trying to define a harder, more reliable identity, Morozov fits the kind of profile Buffalo keeps talking about.
Jarmo Kekalainens draft-night praise only sharpened that impression, pointing to Morozovs work ethic and physical tools as reasons the Sabres believe theres more coming. The plan is for him to go back to college for at least one more season before any possible move to Rochester, which means Buffalo will have to wait a bit longer to see how far his game can climb. For now, the appeal is obvious: a young center with size, production and the sort of foundation the Sabres have been chasing. [Read more 🡒]