Buffalo Sabres must end the Peyton Krebs first-line experiment

It's easy to understand why Peyton Krebs has been a favorite of recent Buffalo Sabres coaches, whether it be Lindy Ruff or Don Granato. He's a hardworking, versatile forward who competes every shift and understands his defensive assignments.

Here's the problem: Krebs is an offensive black hole.

The 24-year-old Canadian's 5-on-5 attacking metrics have been among the worst by a full-time NHL forward since his arrival to Buffalo in the 2021 Jack Eichel trade. That's remained the case this season, as evidenced by his HockeyViz profile.

That's a pressing issue because Krebs has recently been elevated to the Sabres' top line because of injuries, and his struggles offensively were on full display in Saturday's 5-1 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, which ended the club's 10-game winning streak.

One moment in particular saw Josh Doan deliver a perfect pass from behind the net to a wide-open Krebs, only to see the 2019 first-round pick fumble the puck and lose a prime scoring chance. That's been the story of his career in the offensive zone.

So, with Jason Zucker nearing his return from a pair of injuries, it's time for Ruff to shake up his forward group and return Krebs to a spot he's better built for on the fourth line.

It appears the 5-foot-11 former top prospect will never deliver the high-end playmaking ability Buffalo was hoping for when it acquired him from the Vegas Golden Knights, but that doesn't mean he can't help the team win games in a more niche defensive role.

Meanwhile, let's check out of the latest installment of our Sabres player grades series after the Blue and Gold delivered a dud in Columbus.

Josh Doan, Zach Benson stand out in otherwise lackluster Buffalo Sabres outing in Dec. 3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets

Sabres player grades

Buffalo Player of the Game: Josh Doan

If Doan had a more established track record before this season he likely would have earned a spot on the Team USA roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics. That's how good the 23-year-old winger has been since arriving to Western New York in the blockbuster JJ Peterka deal over the summer.

Doan scored the Sabres' only goal in Saturday's streak-ending loss. That brought him up to 27 points (12 goals and 15 assists) in 40 appearances this season. It once again came from right around the net to complete a terrific tic-tac-toe passing play with Owen Power and Josh Norris.

The Arizona native must still become a better finisher, especially on those point-blank chances, if he's going to reach his true offensive potential. That said, he's always willing to do the dirty work around the net and that's half the battle in the NHL.

Even without an elite scoring rate, Doan has an argument as Buffalo's best player so far in 2025-26.

Sabres quick hits

• Zach Benson's contributions aren't always going to show up on the stat sheet, but he tilts the ice in the Sabres' favor almost every game. That's true even in lopsided losses like the one to Columbus.

• Buffalo simply doesn't have enough defensive depth to overcome two key losses, in this case Michael Kesselring and Conor Timmins, at the same time. New general manager Jarmo Kekalainen should be in the market for an upgrade to Zach Metsa or Jacob Bryson (or both).

• The Blue and Gold's core players didn't play terribly in Saturday's contest, but they couldn't solve Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves and the bottom of the Sabres lineup struggled.

• You know Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is in for a tough game when he's over-reactive, as was the case in Columbus. He never looked confident in his reads, which is a worrisome sign after a stretch of outstanding play during the club's winning streak.

• Buffalo (21-15-4) returns home to the KeyBank Center on Tuesday night (7 p.m. ET) for a clash with the Vancouver Canucks (16-20-5). A bounce-back performance is essential as the Sabres attempt to avoid a slide back down the Eastern Conference standings.