Can Peyton Krebs have a breakout season like one of his teammates?

The 2023/2024 season was a rough one for Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs. In 80 games played last year, he only scored four goals and registered 13 assists for 17 points. During the two previous seasons, Krebs finished with over 20 points.

Peyton was the other player coming to Buffalo along with Alex Tuch in the Jack Eichel trade back in November 2021. While he still hasn't shown his potential when Vegas selected him 17th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, next season could be the one where he breaks out.

If the Sabres do hold on to Peyton, 2024/2025 could potentially be the season where he has a breakout. If that is the case, it's possible he'll follow in the footsteps of his teammate Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Before having a very impressive season last year, Luukkonen was an outcast to some members of the fanbase.

Last offseason, UPL was a part of trade rumors after his play in the second half of 2022/2023. During the 2023/2024 campaign, it was a different story. Luukkonen finished the season 27-22-4 with a GAA (goals against average) of 2.57 and registering .910 in the SV% (save percentage) department.

It takes time to develop in the NHL. Krebs, at 23 years old, still has some upside. Recently, he has embraced the role of being a physical player rather than producing offensively. Now that's not an issue since physicality is something Buffalo lacks, but when it comes to Peyton, I don't think we've seen everything.

He still has potential and I think he will breakout next year. Just like Luukkonen, Krebs could have a good season. The question is, will Buffalo hang on to him? If they choose to acquire a player, Krebs could potentially be an asset to trade away.

Only time will tell but maybe Krebs can channel his inner Luukkonen and have a productive season in 2024/2025.