The Buffalo Sabres have spent 15 hard years building to this point, and now the payoff is a roster loaded with young talent and real depth up front. That’s the good news. The tricky part is figuring out exactly who belongs where.
There’s no shortage of options among the forwards, but there is some real uncertainty about the cleanest lineup fit. The Sabres now have to sort through that group and decide what to do with the players who don’t quite slide into place.
Josh Doan and Zach Benson are already locked in as core pieces after signing long-term extensions. Noah Ostlund is in that same mix after his own extension. Then there’s another wave of young talent in Konsta Helenius, Jack Quinn, and Jiri Kulich.
Those last three are where the biggest questions sit. Helenius could end up at center or on the wing.
Quinn looks like part of the plan to help replace Alex Tuch’s departed offense, but he is also a pending restricted free agent, which adds another layer to his situation. Kulich is another key piece: does he take back the first-line center job, or does he need more time before settling into that role?
Training camp should go a long way toward answering those questions. Lindy Ruff may simply let the competition play out and see who earns what when the season opens. Every one of those players has the look of a future building block; the challenge is finding the right slot for each one.
Tage Thompson is right in the middle of that conversation, too. He played most of the 2025-26 season at center, but he was at his best late in the year after shifting to right wing. He seems better suited to the wing, but Buffalo’s center depth makes that choice a little complicated.
If Thompson moves back to center, then one of Kulich or Helenius would have to shift to the wing. If Thompson stays on the wing, Kulich could reclaim his top-line center role, with Josh Norris back as the second-line center. Ryan McLeod is also an option there.
Right now, the tentative path looks like keeping Thompson on the wing, giving Kulich another shot at first-line center, and using Norris, McLeod, and Sam Carrick as the other three centers. In that setup, Helenius and Ostlund would be on the wings, and Jason Zucker could end up on the fourth line, if not out of the lineup altogether.
Of course, there’s one move that would clear things up fast: a trade. The Sabres are reportedly hot on the trail of Connor Hellebuyck, and getting him would mean giving up one or more of the pieces already mentioned. It would also solve the forward logjam while giving Buffalo a major upgrade in net.
Talks with the Jets about Hellebuyck have reportedly been going on since before the NHL Draft, but nothing has happened yet. With the veteran goalie reportedly not reporting to training camp and possibly not playing if Winnipeg doesn’t move him, the pressure could shift in Buffalo’s favor if the Sabres are the team he lands with.
General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen has already shown a strong feel for finding value and making the right move when the time is right. He is not going to strip away young talent just to make a splash for Hellebuyck unless it fits the long-term plan.
And if no trade comes together, the Sabres may just let the competition sort itself out. That would give their prospects more time to develop at their own pace, even if it means more decisions down the road about who stays, who shifts, and who gets moved.
That’s the kind of problem every team wants. Buffalo has enough talent to make the choices difficult, and enough depth to keep those choices from being bad ones. The real answer may not come right away, but the 2026-27 season should tell the story of how this group settles in.
In Other News...
Jets Camp Opens With One Problem Hanging Over Everything
Winnipegs training camp is set to run Sept. 17-25 at Hockey For All Centre, and the Jets have filled the roster with 51 players who will spend the week-plus sorting out jobs, roles and first impressions. Recent draft pick Viggo Bjrck is among the names to watch, while the group also includes a full complement of goaltenders, defensemen and forwards as the club begins the long lead-up to opening night.
But for all the usual camp churn, one situation hangs over everything: Connor Hellebuycks status remains uncertain after his reported trade request, and the team is still waiting to see whether its No. 1 goalie will be in the building when camp opens. The Jets may not have to wait long for clarity, either, with the next move potentially arriving as early as Wednesday or Thursday. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Add A New Voice With One Job Fans Will Notice
The Jets have added Matt Larke to the staff in a role that should be visible to fans long before it shows up on a roster sheet. Larke is coming in to help sharpen individual player skills, with a particular emphasis on skating mechanics, while also giving the coaching staff another resource during the grind of the season.
Larke is not walking into the room as a stranger, either. He has already worked with Kyle Connor, and that existing connection could make the transition smoother as Winnipeg looks for small improvements that can add up over time. For a team always searching for an edge, the hope is that this kind of behind-the-scenes help translates into more polished play when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Face Growing Pressure To Get Cutter Gauthier Signed In Time
Around the league, front offices are dealing with a busy stretch of contract and management news, but the names that matter most to Winnipeg are still tied to one increasingly tricky trade market. The Jets continue to look for a partner on Connor Hellebuyck, and the process has been made harder by the simple reality that there are plenty of teams circling the goaltending market but not many eager to meet Winnipegs price.
The Ducks situation with Cutter Gauthier is another reminder of how quickly deadlines can tighten leverage, and the same dynamic hangs over the Jets as they try to sort out their own path. Winnipeg would clearly like to find a workable deal before the market shifts any further, but there is still plenty of uncertainty about which clubs are serious enough to get something done and whether the next move comes sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]