Entering the offseason a year ago, there were many rumors swirling as to whether or not a certain Sabres center would be traded. There was also a question as to what they could get for him. Now as they enter another offseason, center Peyton Krebs, may be a part of Buffalo's plans.
In 81 games, the young player had career highs in both goals and assists and was a key part of the Sabres late season resurgence. He also had his highest faceoff win percentage at 49%.
More than half of his goals came in 2025. His performance greatly improved, and he showed signs of why the Sabres had interest in him during the trade that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas. If he is able to work hard this offseason, he could be a key part of the early success the Sabres need to have next season.
In a 5-2 win against Ottawa, Krebs showed he's improved his play by intercepting a pass from former teammate Dylan Cozens to score on a breakaway allowing the Sabres to go up 4-1 in the third period.
The Sabres resigned Krebs to a new two-year deal in the offseason. He currently is due to become a restricted free agent in 2026.
Instead of being a liability ,Peyton Krebs is a player to watch entering next season.
Buffalo's key is to have depth behind the likes of Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. Home grown talent and having chemistry already established may be one way to go. Krebs 28 points on the year was a career high, and it seemed he become more confident as the season went on.
This was evident in minutes played as Lindy Ruff saw what the center could do. He went from averaging 12:30 minutes on the ice on year ago to 13:56 this past season.
After a win over Boston in March, Krebs spoke with reporters about his recent change. “I just want to play for the team, play for wins, and it's nice to get rewarded by Lindy,” Krebs said. “Just trying to listen to what he has to say and build my game off that. Just trying to get better every day, have a lot of fun and keep it up.”
Now hopefully for Krebs, Ruff and the Sabres he can build off this past season and become a key part to the Sabres breaking their playoff drought. If he can, it will prove sometimes that patience and belief can sometimes be what a player needs.