As bad as the road trip started, the Buffalo Sabres could be returning to Western New York riding a three-game win streak if they can secure a win on Sunday against the Seattle Kraken. It is certainly possible, as the Kraken have been struggling as of late and have won only three of their last 10 games.
Even with a win streak, the franchise could be heading towards significant changes when they return to Buffalo with some rumored discussions occurring around the front office. Let's dive into some of the news and notes around the Sabres for Sunday.
Josh Norris, Alex Tuch 'possibilities' for the game against the Seattle Kraken
The Buffalo Sabres have had a bit of a break with their last game being on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks in a game they won 3-2 with an impressive performance by Alex Lyon in net. They were able to win without both Josh Norris and Alex Tuch in the lineup.
Norris has missed the past two games due to an illness and soreness, and Tuch missed only the Canucks game due to an illness. On Saturday, Ruff gave an update on both to say that both are possibilities to play against the Kraken.
"“Both of them are possibilities,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “Get them through today and see how they feel. We’re not going to skate tomorrow morning, so we’ll make a decision probably at our (pregame) meeting.”"
Even if one of these two are not able to go, the Sabres will have the return of a familiar face in this game.
Buffalo Sabres recall Noah Ostlund from Rochester
The Buffalo Sabres have racked up plenty of frequent flyer miles on this six-game road trip, but no one might have gotten more than Noah Ostlund. The Sabres would send Ostlund back to Rochester after the Winnipeg Jets game to create room for Zach Metsa, who has been the extra defenseman over the past three games.
Ostlund would play one game for Rochester, a road game against the Belleville Senators, and was incredible with one goal and two assists. He would have to catch another flight back to the West Coast, as the Sabres have brought him back and sent Trevor Kuntar down to Rochester to create the spot.
Hopefully, this means that Ostlund is going to have a permanent role moving forward with Buffalo because he has certainly played well enough to warrant one. This season, he has played in 20 games with three goals and three assists, and according to Natural Stat Trick, Ostlund has the fifth-best xGF % in 5v5 situations at 55.31%
Even if both Norris and Tuch is back in the lineup, Ostlund should also be on the ice for the Sabres against Seattle.
Kevyn Adams' contract with Buffalo Sabres reportedly runs through next season
While a three-game win streak will be huge news for the Buffalo Sabres, they may make even bigger news upon their return. On Friday, it was reported that the Sabres were having internal discussions about replacing general manager Kevyn Adams.
It was made clear that there was no final decision and nothing would be decided until the team returned from their road trip. In the reporting by Matthew Fairburn and Tim Graham, they shared a piece of information that fans have wondered about in how long Kevyn Adams' contract with the team ran for.
On Saturday, Fairburn tweeted that they were told that his current contract in fact runs through next season. He did note that the remaining contract won't impact Pegula's decision.
Adams is indeed under contract through next season, I’m told. That won’t impact Pegula’s decision but that was new information from what’s been out there previously. https://t.co/Vnkx9tZunG
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) December 13, 2025
When considering the Sabres won't play again until Thursday, it gives them a little window if they hope to make significant changes like at general manager.