If one Sabres player impressed me this season, it was Peyton Krebs. Heck, I even thanked the hockey gods Buffalo kept him, given his improvement in head coach Lindy Ruff’s system. Krebs looked like a goner in Buffalo and a bust in the Jack Eichel trade, but after the 2024-25 season, he’s changed his narrative.
The question remains whether he can do the same in 2025-26, but with Ruff likely sticking around, it won’t surprise me if he plays even better. While Krebs won’t put up many points, even amidst a good season, it doesn’t mean he’s not someone who will provide value for the Blue and Gold.
Grade: A - Some will call this one farfetched, but Krebs stepped up, became a decent depth scorer, and continued to excel in his defense-first brand of hockey. The Sabres look like a dysfunctional bunch, but Krebs has forged his hockey identity, and that’s more than I can say for many with the Blue and Gold.
Peyton Krebs was one of the Sabres better players in 2024-25
In 81 games, Krebs finished with 10 goals and 28 points. He notched a 12.5 shooting percentage, 13:56 of average total ice time, won exactly 49.0 percent of his face-offs, and landed 136 body checks. I’m getting Casey Cizikas vibes with Krebs’ play, and it’s only going to get more physical as he continues to carve out his niche.
At even strength, the Sabres scored 11.4 percent of the time when Krebs was on the ice, which showed his ability to create and finish sequences that led to goals. His on-ice save percentage dipped to 90.0 in that same situation, but that was better than anyone on the team who played in at least 50 games.
Overall, Krebs’ 2024-25 season showed me that he’s more than worth keeping around. Some will always point to his lack of points and claim it’s why the Sabres need to do away with him, but I digress. As bad as the team was defensively last season, they need the opposite - more players like Krebs. So, moving him elsewhere would be a crime against hockey.
What will Peyton Krebs’ 2025-26 season look like following a solid year?
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt: 15 goals and 25 assists, good for his first 40-point season. Right now, Krebs should be the Blue and Gold’s No. 3 center, behind Tage Thompson and Ryan McLeod. That will lead to a good 14-14:30 minutes of average total ice time, likely leading to more opportunities.
And, in case of an injury, Krebs also looks poised to be a top-six player when needed without looking out of place. All of that said, I’m more than confident that we will see Krebs at his best come 2025-26. If he doesn’t backslide into the player he was in 2023-24, which is tough to see with Ruff still at the helm, Krebs could be next season’s most improved player.