Florida Panthers cornerstone Aleksander Barkov was highly complimentary of Buffalo Sabres rising star Konsta Helenius, who stole the spotlight after joining Team Finland midway through the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Barkov, who was the Finns' leading scorer in the tournament with 11 points (three points and eight assists) in 10 games, was asked about Helenius after the Sabres prospect scored an overtime goal to secure a gold medal for the Lions (via WKBW's Matthew Bove):
Listen to what Barkov says about Helenius. Thanks some big time praise coming from him 👀 pic.twitter.com/E5bVoIgZZf
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) May 31, 2026
The memorable moment capped an hype-building finish to the season for the 20-year-old center.
Helenius joined Buffalo's playoff lineup during its second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens. He instantly emerged as one of the club's most dangerous offensive threats, posting a pair of goals across four appearances before the Sabres were eliminated by the Habs in Game 7.
The newly minted Suomi legend then jetted off to Switzerland for the World Championships, where he quickly earned a spot alongside Barkov and Mikael Granlund on the top line. He racked up three goals, including the OT championship winner, and three assists in six outings.
Add in the fact the 2024 first-round pick tallied 63 points (21 goals and 42 helpers) in 63 games for the AHL's Rochester Americans this season and it's hard to imagine he'll be anything but a full-time member of the Sabres when the 2026-27 NHL campaign arrives.
The critical acclaim from Barkov, two-time Stanley Cup champion and three-time Selke Trophy winner, is the latest sign Helenius is on an accelerating toward stardom.
Could Konsta Helenius become the Buffalo Sabres' No. 1 center next season?
The Sabres would likely love to package Josh Norris along with a non-Helenius prospect and draft picks to acquire a bona fide first-line center before training camp.
They've been connected to the St. Louis Blues' Robert Thomas since the trade deadline in March, and we recently explored the possibility of taking a big swing for the Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson if Thomas isn't an option.
Those type of blockbuster moves are difficult to complete, however, and there will be ample competition on the trade market this offseason since it's a weak NHL free-agent class.
As a result, it's possible Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen isn't able to pull off that type of roster-altering deal and the club will instead have to bet on internal growth.
Seeing Helenius usurp Norris for the top spot on the Sabres' center depth chart wouldn't be a shock if that scenario plays out.
Quite simply, it's tough for the Blue and Gold to become too dependent on Norris. The 27-year-old forward has flashed elite scoring ability, like when he tallied 35 goals in 66 games for the Ottawa Senators in 2021-22, but he can't stay healthy.
The University of Michigan product was given a chance to secure that No. 1 center role this season. He proceeded to miss nearly two months after getting injured on Opening Night against the New York Rangers. He also suffered an injury during the team's first-round series against the Boston Bruins.
So, if the Sabres essentially maintain the status quo this summer, does head coach Lindy Ruff give Helenius the keys to the top line alongside Tage Thompson and perhaps Zach Benson? Maybe so.
Asking a player with just 13 games of NHL experience (nine in the regular season and four in the playoffs) to take on that burden will come with risk, but so far the 5-foot-11 center has met every challenge put in front of him.
Buffalo could line up something like this if the front office re-signs its RFAs (Benson and Peyton Krebs), while the group of UFAs, led by Alex Tuch and Beck Malenstyn, depart. We'll also subtract Jordan Greenway, a likely summer trade candidate for salary-cap purposes:
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Zach Benson | Konsta Helenius | Tage Thompson |
Jiri Kulich | Josh Norris | Josh Doan |
Jason Zucker | Ryan McLeod | Jack Quinn |
Noah Ostlund | Sam Carrick | Peyton Krebs |
Is that a likely outcome? No. The Sabres will probably spend the next month surveying the trade market and, if nothing significant appears likely to materialize, Kekalainen will probably make a late push to re-sign Tuch before he can hit the open market on July 1.
That said, it shows how far Buffalo has come that, even without a marquee trade or signing, its forward group would still be deep enough to seriously compete next season. Perhaps not at a Stanley Cup level, but certainly in a spot where another playoff appearance is firmly within reach.
Helenius' tremendous play over the past month has raised expectations about his immediate future and given Kekalainen a little more margin for error entering the offseason.
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