Ranking the Sabres forwards for the 2024-25 season from worst to first

Heading into the 2024-25 season, no position group on the Buffalo Sabres has changed as much as their forwards. Gone are Casey Mittelstadt, Zemgus Girgensons, Jeff Skinner, Kyle Okposo, Tyson Jost, and Eric Robinson - remind me if I’m missing anyone - and enter Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty, Ryan McLeod, and Jason Zucker. 

Do the math, and that’s nearly half the Sabres forward group that wasn’t even on the team last season. It’s obvious that general manager Kevyn Adams saw enough following last season’s debacle, so revamping the unit was a clear top priority for Buffalo. 

So, if we were to rank each player in terms of how well they will serve the Sabres for the upcoming 2024-25 season, where would they end up? Let’s start the countdown with our No. 13 forward who will be with the big club and end with who right now is the Undisputed No. 1. 

13 - Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Nicolas Aube-Kubel is the likely 13th forward for this Sabres team and the No. 1 priority to fill in if there is an injury. He played in 60 games last season and finished the year with 16 points and six goals, but his 159 hits show us he’s here to provide more of a physical edge than to score. 

12 - Beck Malenstyn

Much like Aube-Kubel, Beck Malenstyn won’t be a big-time scorer, but he will likely get the nod with more ice time. Also, like Aube-Kubel, Malenstyn is coming to the Sabres from the Washington Capitals, but he will likely get the nod since he saw action in 81 games last season and recorded 241 hits, or nearly three per game. He mainly saw middle-six minutes, but that should change with the Sabres. 

11 - Sam Lafferty

Sam Lafferty saw fourth-line minutes last season with 11 minutes and 13 seconds of average total ice time in 79 games, and that won’t change this year. But Lafferty could sneak in a few more goals than Malenstyn or Aube-Kubel after he scored a career-high 13 in 2023-24 while racking up 24 points for the Vancouver Canucks. 

10 - Peyton Krebs

Peyton Krebs also won’t help in the scoring category, and there’s a chance he won’t give the Sabres more than 25 points. But you can’t help but get excited about how much he’s evolved as a defensive-forward, with just 30 on-ice goals against at even strength in 80 games. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Krebs became more serviceable in the faceoff circle this season, as that number continues to trend north - 46.3 last season compared to 45.1 in 2022-23; slow but steady progress. 

9 - Jordan Greenway

Jordan Greenway should revert to seeing between 13 and 15 minutes per game now that the Sabres should be healthy this season and with Zach Benson potentially seeing more ice time. That said, he’ll be part of a sound checking line that may also include Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker if the Sabres don’t end up putting the latter in the top-six. 

8 - Ryan McLeod

You know I was a big fan of this move, even if it meant sending Matt Savoie to Edmonton of all places. His play isn’t flashy, but winning faceoffs will be a priority for the Sabres this season, as will depth scoring, and McLeod is capable of bringing the Sabres both of these from the bottom-six. 

7 - Zach Benson

If there’s one young player I can see gaining ground in these rankings this season, it’s Zach Benson. His late-season performances set the stage for what we can expect this year, and if you’re a Sabres fan, you can’t help but get excited about his future. 

6 - Jason Zucker

Jason Zucker regressed last season following a strong 2022-23 campaign, and at 33, this signing looked hit-or-miss to me. Hopefully, I’m wrong about Zucker, but if there’s one player listed here who could freefall, it’s him.