Buffalo Sabres winger Jack Quinn is facing the most important season of his young career. His stock has faded considerably over the past few years because of injuries and poor performance, which caused him to spend time as a healthy scratch last season.
At least one fantasy hockey analyst is banking on a bounce-back campaign from the 23-year-old sniper, though. Chris Meaney of NHL.com selected Quinn as one of his top breakout candidates for the 2025-26 season on Friday.
“"Per NHL EDGE stats, Quinn ranked in the 88th percentile in midrange shots on goal (61) and 81st percentile in midrange goals (eight) among forwards last season," Meaney wrote. "He finished the season strong with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) over his final 16 games."
The Sabres will arrive to training camp next month with a lot of questions to answer about the forward lines. The trade of JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth opened up a spot on the top line that wasn't filled by an acquisition via trade or free agency. There are also power-play minutes available as a result.
Quinn is one of the options to fill those roles, but he must show he's trending back toward peak form.
The 2020 first-round pick looked like a star on the rise when he scored 37 points (14 goals and 23 assists) in 75 games during the 2022-23 season, his first full year in the NHL. Impressively, 13 of those 14 goals came at even strength.
He suffered a ruptured Achilles during the 2023 offseason, however, and he's never looked all the way back to full strength from a physical perspective. Even last season, when he was more than a year removed from the injury, he looked a stride or two slow at times.
Quinn's flurry of points late in the campaign did allow him to set a new career high at 39, though.
"Confidence is growing, so that's one," Quinn told Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald in April. "I think I'm skating better than I was in the beginning of the year, which has gone a long way."
While discussing the year as a whole, he added: "It's been pretty brutal, to be honest. Not happy with how the season's gone at all, but [the] last five games have been a lot better."
The Canadian winger still possesses 30-goal potential. That's particularly true this year if he ends up spending ample time alongside superstar Tage Thompson on the first line and on the power play. That's not a guarantee, however.
Barring a standout camp and preseason, it's more likely Quinn will start the season in the Sabres' middle six, which would leave far less goal-scoring upside. His fantasy outlook hinges heavily on where he lands on the Buffalo lineup card for Opening Night.
So, while the former Ottawa 67's standout could emerge as one of the NHL's top fantasy sleepers, it's best to keep an eye on his progress between now and early October to see whether a breakthrough season is really in the cards.
It'd be terrific news for the Sabres' playoff chances if he does take his game to the next level.