The Buffalo Sabres on Monday were able to avoid arbitration and agreed to a new four-year deal with restricted free agent Peyton Krebs. He was a versatile player for the Sabres last season and is expected to serve a similar role moving forward.
However, the Sabres might have a problem as they now might have too many forwards under contract going into next season. According to Puckpedia, the Sabres have 13 forwards on the NHL roster, but that group doesn't include Jiri Kulich or Konsta Helenius, who almost certainly will be with the Sabres at some point next season.
The return of Krebs gives the team some flexibility, particularly with Kulich after he missed almost the entire season due to a blood clot. They could be patient and let him begin the season in the AHL to get back into game shape.
Could Peyton Krebs returning be a precursor to a trade this offseason for the Buffalo Sabres?
Even if Kulich begins in the AHL, the Sabres just have too many forwards on the roster, and it wouldn't be surprising if Jarmo Kekalainen made a trade to free up some roster spots.
The Sabres have been consistently mentioned in Connor Hellebuyck rumors, and with Krebs returning, they could include two forwards, like Josh Norris and Jack Quinn, that not only give them an upgrade but also alleviate some of that logjam at the position.
If the Sabres are not able to find that big trade, then they probably are looking at a smaller trade that might include Justin Danforth or even Jason Zucker that creates a path to the NHL for Kulich or Helenius.
The decision to bring back Peyton Krebs on a four-year deal was the right move for the Buffalo Sabres. While they are going to have to make a move at some point to create some space at forward, they have the flexibility in how they achieve that.
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