On Oct. 4 of last season, three players played on the third line for the Buffalo Sabres: Jordan Greenway, Jason Zucker and Ryan McLeod. McLeod was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in the offseason a year ago and, based off last season, gave the Sabres good value from the trade.
He had career highs in points (53), goals (20) and assists (33). He had a plus/minus of +13 throughout the season and was one of the bright spots in another disappointing season for the Sabres. He was second behind Alex Tuch in shorthanded goals with three and was also tied with Tuch in shorthanded assists with three.
The Sabres need him to have a strong 2025-26 season and develop into the either a second- or third-line center if they wish to have a better season. They will also need him to possibly improve on his first 50-plus point season.
The Sabres are notorious for having players take one step forward and two steps back. But McLeod may be one of the exceptions. He will turn 26 before the start of the season. The Sabres currently are the youngest team in the league.
Their average is 26.0, according to Left Wing Lock. The closest team on the list is the San Jose Sharks with an average age of 26.9.
The Sabres may seem young, but McLeod has something that many players do not on the roster.
Due to his time with the Oilers, he has experience in the postseason (56 games, 13 points). That will be vital for a young team and something they can use him for if they wish to contend in the months of February, March and April.
McLeod has the ability to play behind Tage Thompson and moved up last season to the second line. Thompson has had hot and cold streaks, so McLeod could easily be an option if Lindy Ruff was looking to change things up and give Thompson someone to compete for on the first line.
He was signed to a four-year extension in July and it was well earned after the trade. However, he needs to continue to prove his worth and continue to add more to his point total from a year ago. One of the most important things that have missing from the Sabres is depth.
He did win over half of his faceoffs a year ago but does have more growth for improvement and becoming even more vital to the Sabres. That is a perfect comparison to the organization and the season.
They need to not only win more than half their games, but they need to push even farther to get back into the playoffs.