The Buffalo Sabres have spent considerable time and resources rebuilding their forward group, and Konsta Helenius is supposed to be one of the players who eventually takes it to another level.
However, his early-season struggles have called his role on the team into question. By extension, some have even questioned whether Helenius is still a relevant part of the Sabres' future.
The bottom line is that he is. And discounting him at this point would be a massive mistake.
His start to the this season hasn’t been the most exciting.
The 20-year-old has just one goal and three points in 11 games this season. And yes, an upper-body injury has also interrupted his progress, leaving him week-to-week. But if there’s anything we’ve learned over so many years of watching and following hockey, it’s that giving up on a prospect too soon can have dire consequences.
Konsta Helenius has already proven with Sabres believe in him
It’s no fluke that the Sabres believe in Helenius. The organization picked him 14th overall in 2024. His 2023-24 season in Finland as a 17-year-old impressed everyone after he scored 14 goals and 36 points in 51 games. But it was his first year in North America in which he torched the AHL. In 65 games with the Rochester Americans in 2024-25, he scored 14 goals and 35 points. He followed that up with 21 goals and 63 points in 63 games last season.
That showing earned him a last-season call-up in which he scored a goal and totaled four points in nine games. He added two goals in four playoff games.
And so, you have to think that the seeming regression this season is just a part of the overall learning curve that NHL players have.
And considering that he’s just played 20 NHL games, well, that’s far too soon to write him off as a potential bust.
Perhaps a return to the AHL might not be the worst thing in the world. But then again, that move would have to come with a word of caution. The Sabres can’t do anything at this point to undermine Helenius’ confidence.
That’s why, if there’s a return to the AHL in the cards, it would have to depend on the Sabres’ ability to fill the lineup spot with someone better, while also ensuring that the move aims to give Konsta Helenius regular top-six playing minutes.
Otherwise, the Sabres can afford to give their prospect a little more runway as he finds his footing in the NHL.
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