One of the bright spots from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Buffalo Sabres was Konsta Helenius. The Sabres' top prospect has continued his strong play right into the IIHF World Championship and helped Finland reach the Championship Game after a 4-2 win over Canada.
On Saturday, Helenius would score the game-winning goal in the second period against Canada to break the 2-2 tie. The forward did a great job breaking away from the defense, made a move right in front of the goalie, and was able to slide the puck underneath him for the goal.
Helenius joined Aleksander Barkov as the only two players on Finland who recorded a goal and an assist in the semifinal game. He now has two goals and three assists in five games in the tournament.
Konsta Helenius has to be in the lineup for the Buffalo Sabres when they open the 2026-27 season
During the playoffs, head coach Lindy Ruff gambled a bit with the lineup by having Konsta Helenius make his playoff debut in Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens. It was a risk as Helenius had played only nine NHL games prior to this, and by making his debut, he was burning a year on his entry-level contract.
The risk certainly paid off as Helenius was excellent over the final four games of the series and proved with his performance that he was ready for the NHL. He finished the series with two goals and a +/- of +1 in those games. Helenius provided a much-needed jolt for the Sabres and was one of the driving forces behind them being able to push that series to seven games.
After the NHL playoffs, he pretty much solidified his case to begin next season with the Sabres but he is only making his argument stronger with his performance in the IIHF World Championship. On Saturday, he was playing a Canada team that had players like Sidney Crosby, Macklin Celebrini, Robert Thomas, and Morgan Reilly, to name a few.
Helenius and Finland were playing NHL caliber talent and still showed to be the better team on the ice.
There are plenty of decisions left for the Buffalo Sabres with the offseason just kicking off, but one thing that should already be decided is that Konsta Helenius will be in the lineup for the first game of the regular season for the Sabres.
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