The Buffalo Sabres have been decimated by injuries at points during the 2025-26 season, including just before the NHL's break for the 2026 Winter Olympics. It's led to an opportunity to don the Blue and Gold sweater for several of the team's top prospects.
Among them, forward Konsta Helenius, who caught the attention of the hockey world by scoring three points (a goal and two assists) in his second NHL game, a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators on Jan. 20.
The 19-year-old Finland native has also been tearing it up in the AHL this season with the Rochester Americans, tallying 34 points (10 goals and 24 helpers) in 36 contests. Amerks head coach Mike Leone said the center has proven "there's no moment that's too big for him."
"He has a quiet swagger and confidence in himself, and it's a unique trait," Leone recently told Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald. "Many people don't have it. It's hard to explain unless you're around him all the time."
Helenius has impressed every step of the way since the Sabres selected him with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft but, while he projects as a future Buffalo cornerstone, his short-term outlook remains unsettled after his first foray with the big club.
Konsta Helenius isn't a lock to suit up with the Buffalo Sabres during the stretch run of the regular season
Although Helenius enjoyed that standout performance against the Preds, it was an otherwise quiet first stint with the Sabres. He recorded no goals and one assist in his other eight games, and his ice time dropped to just eight minutes in the final game before the Olympic break.
Buffalo returned the 5-foot-11 Finn to the Amerks to continue his development during the NHL's three-week hiatus, and he immediately scored four points in two games over the weekend.
Rochester assistant coach Vinny Prospal, who played over 1,100 games at hockey's top level across a 16-year NHL career, said it's a perfect learning experience for Helenius.
"He got the opportunity in a way that he was earning the opportunity with his play here," Prospal told Hoppe. "I actually think he was really good the first couple games, and then it's obviously he's not there yet to be the full-time NHLer. But it's great for Helly to get the sniff, get the opportunity and also be able to now see where the level is in the NHL compared to the AHL."
The Sabres are set to get some injury reinforcements after the break, led by Josh Norris and Zach Benson, and they're still holding out hope Jiri Kulich can make it back before the end of the campaign as he awaits clearance after suffering from a blood clot.
It's going to create a lot of competition for the 12 forward spots, especially if depth players like Jordan Greenway and Justin Danforth also return over the final 25 games.
On the surface, that would suggest Helenius is likely to spend the remainder of the season with the Amerks before trying to earn a full-time role in Buffalo next year.
Yet, the Sabres are also in a position where they're trying to lock down their first playoff appearance since 2011. They have to ice the best players, especially if the Eastern Conference wild-card chase ends up getting decided by a point or two in the end.
Helenius flashed his game-changing potential against Nashville. If the postseason race gets close and Buffalo feels like it needs a spark, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Helenius earn another call-up over the next few months, particularly if he continues to dominate the AHL.
That said, regardless of what happens for the reminder of the current campaign, all signs point to the versatile forward becoming a full-time Sabre in 2026-27.