Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff must answer one key question as he builds his lineup for the first time at training camp: Will cornerstone forward Tage Thompson open the 2025-26 season at center or on the wing?
Thompson, who delivered his breakout seasons in the middle of the ice, shifted to right wing last season because of some lingering injuries and defensive deficiencies. His offensive production remained strong, but it's much tougher to build the team's lines without him at center.
That difficulty was on full display in our first projected lineup back in July, which placed the two-time 40-goal scorer on the wing. Let's take the alternate approach this time around, and Sabres fans will quickly see how much better the roster looks if this is the alignment for camp.
Line 1: Jiri Kulich – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Moving Tage back to center allows Tuch to play on the first line, which is a role he richly deserves, and it'll allow Kulich to play significant minutes without having to worry so much about the defensive responsibilities of playing in the middle. It's a win-win situation.
Line 2: Jason Zucker – Josh Norris – Jack Quinn
Both Norris and Quinn need to skate alongside a playmaker in order to maximize their offensive upside. Zucker ranked third among Sabres forwards in assists last season (32) and shouldn't have much trouble playing a pass-first role at this stage of his career.
Line 3: Zach Benson – Ryan McLeod – Josh Doan
Benson will likely slide up to the top six, and possibly even the first line, if Thompson starts on the wing. That said, if this trio does come together it has the potential to become the best two-way third line in hockey and that's not hyperbole.
Line 4: Jordan Greenway – Peyton Krebs – Justin Danforth
Krebs finally started to show some promising development signs in the latter stages of last season. He'll never become the high-end offensive contributor Buffalo was hoping for in the Jack Eichel trade, but he can be an effective fourth-line, team-first center and that still carries value.
Beck Malenstyn will serve as the extra forward to open the campaign unless he can beat out Danforth for an Opening Night spot with a strong preseason.
Pair 1: Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin
Byram is never going to maximize his impact for the Sabres without power-play time — Dahlin and Power are the PP quarterbacks — but he did find a nice rhythm alongside Dahlin on the top pair last season. Of course, that's no surprise since the 25-year-old Swede brings the best out of everyone.
Pair 2: Owen Power – Michael Kesselring
Kesselring made tremendous progress over the past two seasons with the Utah Mammoth. Now, he'll be tasked with handling a role Buffalo has struggled mightily to fill in recent years: Power's playing partner. Unlocking the 2021 first overall pick's true upside would provide a massive boost.
Pair 3: Mattias Samuelsson – Conor Timmins
Samuelsson should be far more effective in third-pair minutes than he was while being asked to play in the top four. He'll also benefit from a new partner in Timmins, who should take a lot of pressure off the alternate captain in terms of defensive-zone exits and transition plays.
Jacob Bryson and Zac Jones will compete for the No. 7 defenseman role in camp. Bryson holds the initial edge since Jones is on a two-way contract.
Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – Alex Lyon
UPL will be given every opportunity to regain the full-time starting role after ceding a lot of playing time to backup James Reimer down the stretch last season amid a forgettable campaign. Likewise, Lyon struggled in 2024-25 as a member of the Detroit Red Wings (.896 save percentage).
Highly touted prospect Devon Levi will open the campaign with the AHL's Rochester Americans, and the organization probably prefers for him to spend the entire year with the Amerks, but a return to the NHL can't be ruled out if UPL and Lyon are struggling.