The only way the 2025-26 season could have been better for the Buffalo Sabres would have been to win the Stanley Cup. As it was, they ended the seemingly endless playoff drought, beat the rival Boston Bruins in the first round, and were a goal away from the Eastern Conference Final.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen had to follow that up by showing the Sabres can compete in 2026-27 and beyond. Letting go of Alex Tuch was hard (not that hard given the deal he got) but it was still a tough pill to swallow. Now Kekalainen is showing his confidence that a group of youngsters can keep the Sabres in contention.
The Sabres' future core
Gone are Tuch’s 33 goals, solid defensive play, and leadership. Helping pick up the slack will be the trio of Noah Ostlund (22 years old), Jiri Kulich (22), and Konsta Helenius (20). All figure to play a key role in the future of Buffalo Sabres hockey.
Kulich has the most extensive resume of the trio with 75 career games. He began the season as the de facto top center before a blood clot ended his season after 12 games. He has the skill and finishing ability top remain in a top-six role for the Sabres.
Ostlund played the most of the three in 2025-26, logging 60 games in the regular season. He appeared to be a difference-maker in his three games against the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, but an injury ended what looked to be a promising start.
Finally, there is Helenius. He played in just nine regular season games, but it is in the playoffs where he made his presence felt. He scored a pair of goals in the second round of the playoffs, looking like an impact player across four games.
Kekalainen and head coach Lindy Ruff will have their hands full trying to figure out where each of them plays. This much is clear: all three have value to the 2026-27 Buffalo Sabres and are expected to help make up for the offense that left with Tuch.
Jack Quinn a breakout candidate?
If that weren’t enough, the Sabres have another candidate to potentially replace some of those goals in Jack Quinn. The embattled winger had been the talk of many trade rumors going into the season and did nothing to dispel those rumors through the first 20 games of the season.
Quinn found his game and was generally quite solid, setting career highs in goals (20), assists (31) and points (51) by season’s end. Many see him as having another breakthrough in him for the coming season.
If Quinn could finally deliver on his 30-goal potential, it would not only help make up for Tuch’s loss but no doubt takes some pressure off the aforementioned trio. It would also leave the Sabres with a conundrum as far as a contract extension for Quinn, but that’s a good problem to have.
Buffalo's young players are insulated by veteran experience
Though the Sabres are one of the youngest teams in the league, they do have a bevvy of veteran talent to insulate the youngsters. Rasmus Dahlin can make a case for being the best defenseman in the world on any given night and is typically the best Sabre.
Tage Thompson is one of the game’s most prolific scorers. Jason Zucker has a plethora of experience as a top-six forward. Ryan McLeod, Mattias Samuelsson, Conor Timmins, Conor Sheary, and Sam Carrick all add their own dimension. Having that veteran experience to draw on will be critical as the young core develops.
Sabres not going away in 2026-27
The Sabres may not, on paper, be improved from last season’s version but they should still be a legitimate playoff threat. They are deep at forward, may be more balance on defense thanks to the acquisitions of Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier, and return their outstanding goaltending trio from a season ago.
With positive momentum on their side for the first time in eons, the Sabres could be due for a hot start. And as they showed last season, when the Sabres get on a roll, they are hard to stop.
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