One year ago, the Buffalo Sabres were hopeful Jiri Kulich was on the verge of emerging as their No. 1 center, a critical role left mostly vacant since Jack Eichel departed the organization in 2021.
Then Kulich suffered a blood clot early in the 2025-26 season, which brought his hockey career to a temporary halt. Although there were initial concerns about potential lingering impacts, the Czechia native is now healthy and trying to regain some momentum.
He's enjoyed a solid start to the new campaign, posting three points (a goal and two assists) in seven appearances, and now he's ticketed for an increased role Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Kulich centered the top line between Tage Thompson and Josh Doan at Tuesday's practice, per Rachel Lenzi of the Buffalo News. It's the clearest indication yet the Sabres are ready to give the offensively gifted forward a chance to lock down that prominent role.
Head coach Lindy Ruff has done a lot of lineup juggling in the early stages, but most of the combinations included Thompson at center. While it's a role the 6-foot-6 superstar can handle, playing on the wing helps hide some of his defensive deficiencies and gives him more offensive freedom.
That's why the Sabres were dreaming of a Kulich breakthrough last year, especially after Josh Norris suffered an early-season injury that ultimately cost him nearly two months.
Now the former top prospect, who scored 94 points in 123 games with the AHL's Rochester Americans, is set to receive a renewed chance to lock down the top spot on Buffalo's center depth chart.
Kulich's talent has never been in question, but his game hasn't fully translated to the NHL level. Playing a big-minute role alongside an elite scorer in Thompson and a hardworking winger in Doan should maximize his chances of success.
Even if he doesn't end up serving as the Sabres' No. 1 center for the long haul, filling that key void effectively on a short-term basis would be massive for the Blue and Gold.
Jason Zucker's return should also bolster the Sabres offense, power play
The latest line changes — Zach Benson, Noah Ostlund and Jack Quinn are the one trio sticking together given their high-end success early in the season — come because Jason Zucker is set to rejoin the lineup for the first time this season.
Zucker was sidelined by offseason sports hernia surgery but is slated to skate with Josh Norris and Konsta Helenius against the Flyers.
The 34-year-old winger has recorded 98 points (45 goals and 53 assists) across 135 appearances since joining the Sabres as a free agent in 2024. Perhaps most importantly, 21 of those goals have come on the power play, an area of extreme weakness for Buffalo early on (31st in the NHL at 9.1%).
Moving Thompson to the wing and getting Zucker back while dropping Peyton Krebs and Ryan McLeod to the fourth line are alterations that should help the club's quest to find a little more offensive stability.
The Sabres currently rate 20th in goals scored per 60 minutes in all situations (2.93). They ranked fifth in that category last season (3.42) en route to their first playoff appearance in 15 years.
Yes, there are other problems that must be addressed, led by poor goaltending and a leaky penalty kill, but getting the offense back to an elite level can help cover up a lot of issues. Just ask the Bills.
Buffalo is also in a stretch where Wednesday's clash against the Flyers is its only home game during a period from Oct. 13 through Nov. 3. So, it's paramount to keep stacking points during a tough portion of the schedule, particularly given the immense strength of the Atlantic Division.
All told, the Sabres aren't playing their best hockey yet, but there are reasons for optimism as the roster inches closer to full strength after an injury-riddled start.
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