Buffalo Sabres are traveling down a questionable path with Jiri Kulich

One year ago, the Buffalo Sabres were hopeful Jiri Kulich was about to end the club's long-term search for a first-line center. Then he suffered a blood clot that forced him to miss a vast majority of last season and delayed his development at a crucial stage.

Kulich was back on the ice for the start of Sabres training camp but head coach Lindy Ruff deployed him in a head-scratching role: fourth-line winger. The team experimented with different lines at Tuesday's practice, two days before its 2026-27 season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but the 22-year-old Czechia native remained alongside Sam Carrick and Beck Malenstyn on the bottom trio.

It feels like that's the worst option Buffalo has available.

Ruff initially planned for Kulich to play in all four preseason games to help him get back up to full game speed after the prolonged absence. He ultimately made just three appearances before suffering a minor injury that required a short recovery.

Yet, if the Sabres are seriously concerned about whether the 2022 first-round pick is ready for NHL action, sending him to the AHL's Rochester Americans for what amounts to a conditioning stint makes far more sense than playing him limited minutes in a defensive-focused capacity.

Kulich struggled defensively, as many young players do early in their careers, across 62 appearances during the 2024-25 season. His only path to making a positive impact for Buffalo, at least in the short term, is at the opposite end of the rink. He's not going to see much of the offensive zone while playing with Carrick and Malenstyn, though.

Peyton Krebs, who spent most of camp on the first line before dropping down to the third at Tuesday's session, is far better suited for that spot on the depth chart.

If Kulich is going to remain in Buffalo, he should be skating somewhere in the club's top nine, which is littered with offensive playmakers capable of creating consistent scoring chances for him.

Otherwise, the best approach is letting him play extensive minutes while centering the first line and working on the top power-play unit with the Amerks. He hasn't received regular work on special teams throughout camp, though he's spent some time with PP2 lately.

The road the Sabres are currently traversing — keeping him with the big club only to play a bit role — just doesn't make much sense given the team's roster complexion. That's particularly true with veteran winger Jason Zucker sidelined by injury, creating a need for more offense.

A quick juggling of the lines could always change the conversation but, as things stand, Buffalo's coaching staff is seemingly trying to keep Kulich in the NHL without thrusting him into a high-profile spot, and that doesn't really benefit anybody.

How the Sabres' forward lines should look to open the new NHL season

If the organization is going to keep Kulich with the big club, there should be enough confidence he's capable of playing a middle-six role right away. Then, if he trends back toward peak form, perhaps he finds his way back to the top line in the weeks ahead.

Based on those parameters, this feels like the best lineup the Sabres can ice up front until Zucker returns from sports hernia surgery:

Tage Thompson would be playing on the wing in a perfect world but, at least until the front office can find a true No. 1 center, he'll likely remain in the middle.

Beyond that, this setup otherwise gives Buffalo the most balance and also leaves plenty of flexibility for Ruff to utilize until everything clicks. For example, moving Ryan McLeod up to the second line on the wing to create a "Kid Line" of Kulich, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius would be enticing.

It's just hard to fathom the reasoning of trying to force Krebs, who has a proven defensive acumen but has often been an offensive black hole throughout his NHL career, up the lineup while playing Kulich completely out of his element.

Yes, lines are always fluid and things will probably look a lot different on Nov. 1 than they do on Oct. 1, but trying to put Kulich in a position to succeed quickly seems paramount. Skating on the fourth line with a bunch of defensive-zone starts isn't going to accomplish that.

Ruff appeared to concede some changes were needed by shaking things up at Tuesday's practice after lackluster offensive production throughout the exhibition slate, so it's possible Kulich is elevated before puck drop on Thursday night.

If that's not in the works, however, sincere thought should be given to sending him down to Rochester (he's exempt from waivers) until the coaching staff is confident he's prepared for a more fitting role.

Half measures rarely lead to desired results at the highest levels of professional sports.

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