The Buffalo Sabres could be getting some help for their forwards fairly soon, as Jason Zucker continues to get closer to making his season debut. Zucker missed all of training camp and the beginning of the 2026-27 season due to offseason surgery.
Zucker has been a big part of what the Sabres have done the past two seasons, particularly on the power play, as he has had 20 or more goals each season, with more than half on the power play.
The return of Jason Zucker creates a challenge for head coach Lindy Ruff with an already crowded group of forwards. However, also gives him a chance to really shuffle the lines as some have struggled.
Once Zucker is able to return, these are probably the best lines that the Sabres should put out there.
Peyton Krebs - Jiri Kulich - Tage Thompson
This might not be the top line many expected at the beginning of the season, but sometimes coaches just have to go with what works well. Tage Thompson seems to play best alongside either Peyton Krebs or Jiri Kulich, and in limited minutes, these three have been really good.
According to Natural Stat Trick, this line has just over 12 minutes of ice time and has eight scoring chances for, compared to only three against, with four high-danger scoring chances and only one against.
For their top line, the Sabres can really have Kulich or Thompson in the middle but putting Kulich there does take some of the pressure off Thompson and allows him to do what he does best, and that is focus on scoring.
Zach Benson - Noah Ostlund - Jack Quinn
Regardless of how Lindy Ruff gets Jason Zucker in the lineup, the one thing he absolutely can't do is break up this line of Zach Benson, Noah Ostlund, and Jack Quinn. They not only have been the Sabres' best line but also one of the best lines in all of hockey.
Moneypuck has them listed as having the third-best xG% among lines with 80 or more minutes of ice time this season at 65.3%. They are behind only a line consisting of Connor McDavid and one with Jack Eichel.
These three have been able to play at a different level this season, and it would be a major mistake to split this line up.
Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Konsta Helenius
The bottom six is where the Sabres really start to have to make some tough decisions and might find themselves shuffling players around. Konsta Helenius was expected to have a big season but has gotten off to a slow start, and putting him with two veterans in Jason Zucker and Ryan McLeod, might be the answer to help him get going.
As for Zucker and McLeod, it makes sense to start the season with these two together, as they have already had a lot of ice time together. Last season, these two had nearly 500 minutes over 62 games with an xGF% of 51.03%.
This is not to say that this is guaranteed to stick but to at least start, with Zucker having a delayed start to the season, it would be wise to get him playing next to someone he knows.
Josh Doan - Josh Norris - Beck Malenstyn
The Sabres' fourth line has not been good this season, and it hasn't really mattered who has been on the line, as they have yet to get into a rhythm.
It certainly would be surprising to hear a month ago that both Josh Doan and Josh Norris were on the fourth line. The problem is that both players have struggled with a combined three points in eight games, and right now are not contributing enough to be in the Top 9, or even the Top 6.
This means that Sam Carrick, Justin Danforth, and Tyson Kozak are on the outside looking in and the last two are probably in jeopardy of being waived to create a roster spot for Jason Zucker. However, based on how players have looked to start the season, while leaning on some familiar pairs, these are the best lines for the Buffalo Sabres once Zucker is ready to return.
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