The Buffalo Sabres are heading into training camp with a few familiar questions and one big name back in the rumor mill.
Camp opens Sunday, and players have already started skating earlier this week as they prepare for the 2026-27 season. For a team trying to keep building on its momentum, the first days of camp will say a lot about where things stand.
There are several roster battles and lineup questions worth watching right away. Rookie Konsta Helenius is set to make his first training camp push with an opening night roster spot in view. New addition Olen Zellweger is another player drawing plenty of attention, especially with the Sabres and fans eager to see what he can provide after signing a three-year contract extension once he arrived in Buffalo.
Then there’s the question of who fills Alex Tuch’s spot. Zach Benson is the name most people point to, but he’s not the only option.
Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, Helenius and Jack Quinn are all in the mix, and it will be up to Lindy Ruff to sort out how that role gets handled. Kulich is also a storyline on his own, since he hasn’t played a game since early November 2025.
The other major headline is Connor Hellebuyck. Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck publicly requested a trade last week, which immediately put the Sabres back into the conversation because the two teams have already had serious trade discussions involving him.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that the Jets believe “some things that were there around the draft are no longer available”. That specifically includes Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Josh Norris, both of whom the Jets wanted in a deal around the draft but now have trade clauses that kicked in as of July 1.
There’s also been more reporting that the two sides have picked up talks again. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the Jets and Sabres have re-engaged in discussions about Hellebuyck. Whether that leads anywhere remains to be seen, but the sense right now is that Buffalo may not be able to meet what Winnipeg wanted before the draft.
Another name to keep on the board is Chris Kreider. The Anaheim Ducks and Kreider mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which makes him a free agent, and the Sabres should at least look at the idea of a one-year deal. He put up 50 points last season, scoring 22 goals and adding 28 assists in his only season with the Ducks.
There’s also a split in his underlying numbers worth noting: Evolving Hockey had him in the 69th percentile in offense and the 23rd percentile in defense. Still, the fit in Buffalo is easy to see on paper. Ruff was Kreider’s assistant coach with the New York Rangers from 2017-2020, so there’s already a connection there.
The cap situation matters, though. The Sabres have $5.12 million in cap space, so any move for Kreider would have to fit cleanly under that number.
Buffalo enters camp with optimism and a lot of moving parts, but the bigger picture is simple enough: this group is expected to keep trending upward, with playoff contention the goal both now and down the road.
In Other News...
Connor Hellebuyck Trade Pressure Is Only Growing For The Jets
The Connor Hellebuyck situation has become one of the more delicate storylines hanging over Winnipeg, with the Jets still working to find the right trade and the pressure only rising as the market shifts around them. Hellebuycks name has been out there for some time, and the sense around the league is that Winnipeg wants to move him, but doing so at the right price has gotten more complicated as other teams adjust their own plans.
What makes this especially tricky is that Hellebuyck is not operating with a narrow wish list, but the broader question of where he can land and win. Even with that flexibility, the Jets are still chasing a resolution, and the longer it drags on, the more the club is forced to navigate changing circumstances it cannot control while trying to complete a major deal. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Blue Line Plans May Be Bigger Than This Depth Move
The Hurricanes made a low-risk move by bringing back defenseman Mike Reilly on a one-year, two-way contract, a depth addition that keeps a familiar piece in the mix after he played 42 games last season and even had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. On its own, it is the kind of transaction teams make to shore up the margins, especially on a blue line that has to absorb a long season and the churn that comes with it.
But the Reilly signing may be only the backdrop to something bigger taking shape in Carolina. Reports have tied the Hurricanes to goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and Alexander Nikishin has also surfaced as a possible trade candidate, which leaves the door open to a more ambitious roster shuffle than a simple depth re-signing would suggest. For a team like Winnipeg, that matters because any talk involving Hellebuyck changes the stakes immediately, and the next move could tell the real story. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Could Still Make A Surprise Push For Proven Scoring Help
The Jets have already built a roster good enough to be taken seriously, but there is still a familiar question hanging over the group: whether they have enough proven finishing punch when the games tighten. That is why Chris Kreiders name has surfaced in Winnipeg circles, with the veteran winger giving any contender a chance to add speed, size and a track record of scoring without having to surrender assets in a trade.
Kreiders situation is complicated by where he may want to land, and that matters for Winnipegs chances of getting involved. Still, the Jets can at least make a case that they offer something plenty of teams cannot - a competitive lineup, a real chance to win now and a role that could be appealing if he is open to considering options outside the obvious fit that has drawn the most attention so far. [Read more 🡒]