New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is going to win the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie barring an injury or a significant drop off in performance during the second half of the 2025-26 season.
Yet, that doesn't mean other rookies aren't having terrific campaigns, whether it be Minnesota Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt, Montreal Canadiens winger Ivan Demidov or a host of others.
The list of standout newcomers includes Buffalo Sabres forward Noah Ostlund, though you wouldn't know that from a recent NHL.com poll. Although voters named 11 different rookies as part of their midseason Calder forecast, Ostlund didn't appear on a single ballot.
It's quite a snub because Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic estimates the Sabres rising star (+1.2 net rating) has made nearly an identical impact to the Anaheim Ducks' Beckett Sennecke (+1.3), who ranked third in the NHL.com voting behind Schaefer and Wallstedt.
Ostlund has stepped up in a massive way an injury-riddled Buffalo roster by tallying 12 points (seven goals and five assists) in 29 games and vastly improving his defensive play.
Noah Ostlund, not Peyton Krebs, should be playing alongside Tage Thompson and Josh Doan on the Buffalo Sabres' first line
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff juggled the forward lines ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks as Jason Zucker prepares to return from injury. One thing stood out: Ruff's decision to keep Peyton Krebs on the top line.
Krebs is an important player for the Sabres because of his defensive awareness and team-first attitude, but he's long struggled offensively. His problems in the attacking zone were on full display in the team's 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, which ended a 10-game winning streak.
So, it felt like time for Krebs to make his return to the fourth line, with either Zucker or Zach Benson slotting in alongside Tage Thompson and Josh Doan atop the lineup card.
Even if Ruff feels the middle-six group is stronger with Zucker and Benson, it makes far more sense to elevate Ostlund to the top line rather than keeping Krebs in that spot.
The 21-year-old Swede, who joined the Buffalo organization as a 2022 first-round pick, has showcased a rapidly improving two-way game this season, which was a welcome sight for the Blue and Gold after he failed to make a substantial impact in a brief eight-game NHL stint last year.
That's why it made no sense when the Sabres, under former general manager Kevyn Adams, demoted him to the AHL's Rochester Americans in December. Adams' longstanding inability to make tough decisions led him to send Ostlund down because he wouldn't have to clear waivers.
"Just telling him how well he played, that a lot of this is just due to numbers," Ruff told reporters at the time. "I liked his game. I thought his playmaking inside the game — he's been one of our top guys that have been on really good plays, that he's set other guys up. And defensively, played well."
Ruff added: "I think he feels really good about his game. And he should."
Ostlund quickly returned and deserves to remain in Buffalo for the long haul.
Although the forward, who's mostly operated on the wing but is also capable of playing center, isn't going to post the eye-popping numbers necessary to win the Calder Trophy, his impactful all-around performance at least deserves a spot in the discussion of the NHL's top rookies.
Perhaps that league-wide recognition will finally arrive if Ostlund continues to play a key role as the Sabres make a serious bid at ending their 14-year playoff drought.