The Buffalo Sabres could feature one of the NHL's best center groups in 2025-26 with Tage Thompson, Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod and Peyton Krebs. If Thompson remains on the wing, however, the position becomes more of a question mark for the organization.
TSN's Travis Yost hedged his bets as part of the final part of his summer talent tiers series released Monday. He placed the Sabres' centers in the middle of the league (Tier 3), but noted the variables create a high level of uncertainty.
"If Tage Thompson moves back to centre (he played both centre and wing a season ago, owing to some injury considerations), this can be a relatively deep group down the middle for Buffalo, and I'm anticipating the Sabres give that another look," Yost wrote. "But it also hinges on another risk, that being the general durability of Josh Norris."
Let's take a closer look at the Sabres' key questions at center ahead of the new campaign.
Where will Thompson play?
Last season, Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff moved Thompson to the wing because of lingering injuries and defensive deficiencies. His offensive production remained strong (72 points in 76 games), which was a promising sign that he can stay highly impactful regardless of his role.
The Sabres' lineup comes together better if he plays center, however, which makes his placement at the start of training camp one of the team's most important remaining questions.
Tage playing in the middle would allow Alex Tuch to play first-line minutes, which he deserves, and also takes ample pressure of the shoulders of Norris and Jiri Kulich. Norris would slide down to the second line, while Kulich would face far less defensive responsibly on the wing.
The Sabres do have some prized center prospects nearing the NHL, led by Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund and Anton Wahlberg, but asking any of them to take on a vital top-six role this season would probably be asking too much.
So, Buffalo may try to open the season with Thompson on the wing, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he shifts back to center pretty early on.
Can Norris stay healthy?
The Sabres' bizarre decision to non-tender defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker as a restricted free agent this offseason means they're putting all their eggs from the Dylan Cozens trade in Norris' basket. To say it's a risky move may be an understatement.
Sure, Norris has talent, as he displayed with a 35-goal season in 2021-22. He's struggled mightily to stay healthy, however, as illustrated when he played just three games for Buffalo after the trade last season before getting sidelined for the remainder of the term.
Here's a look at the center's games-played totals since making the full-time NHL jump in 2020-21: 56, 66, 8, 50 and 56. So, he's missed at least 16 games in every season.
For most players, you're hoping they hit a career-high total in a key statistical category like goals or assists. For Norris, the Sabres need him to achieve a new high in appearances.
If the 26-year-old Michigan native can play 75 or more games, the Sabres' center outlook and overall offensive potential will improve substantially. That's far from a sure thing, though.
Is Kulich ready to step up?
If Thompson is playing on the wing or Norris' injury woes emerge once again, then sizable portion of the Sabres' success in the middle of the ice will hinge on Kulich.
The 21-year-old Czech forward produced some promising moments as a rookie last year, but his numbers were modest at best. He tallied 24 points (15 goals and nine assists) in 62 games and won just 45.5 percent of his faceoffs.
Kulich represents a major flaw in Buffalo's team-building process throughout their 14-year playoff drought. Instead of allowing top prospects to develop in smaller roles, they're asked to produce at a high rate right away. The expectation of internal improvement is always too high.
The lack of offseason depth moves puts the Sabres right back in the same position. The initial roster is good enough to compete on paper, but a single major injury or two could derail the entire season because the only replacement options are young players with little or no NHL experience.
Kulich still has the upside to develop into a legitimate top-six center, but asking him to play first-line minutes after scoring less than 30 points last season is a monster ask.