Scroll through enough predictions about the Buffalo Sabres depth chart ahead of the 2026-27 season and you'll undoubtedly see some with Ryan McLeod centering the fourth line. That's not going to happen.
McLeod has been a highly productive middle-six center for the Sabres over the past two seasons since being acquired in a July 2024 trade with the Edmonton Oilers. He's compiled 107 points (34 goals and 73 assists) in 160 appearances despite limited power-play usage.
Yet, it feels like the honeymoon phase between the 26-year-old Canadian forward and the Buffalo fanbase is over following his sluggish finish to last season.
McLeod recorded just six points over the Sabres' final 16 regular-season contests. Then he finished the team's playoff run with five points and a minus-seven rating in 13 games. It led to questions about exactly where he fits in the club's long-term outlook.
It's crucial not to make any rash decisions based on a small sample size, though.
The 6-foot-3 center rates in the 77th percentile of NHL forwards in projected wins above replacement (WAR) based on a three-year weighted average, per HockeyStats.com. His strong underlying numbers at even strength (84th percentile offense and 88th percentile defense) are the foundation.
Buffalo's line of McLeod, Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn was actually one of the league's most effective in the month following the Olympic break. It often led to head coach Lindy Ruff putting them on the ice at the start of periods, showing his confidence in the trio.
Unfortunately for the Sabres, that group along with the first-line triumvirate of Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs went almost radio silent in the team's second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, which they ultimately lost in seven games.
The Blue and Gold haven't made any significant additions to the roster up front over the summer, at least to this point, so that means the Jarmo Kekalainen-led front office is placing a heavy emphasis on internal improvement to help fill the offensive void created by Tuch's departure.
McLeod can be part of the solution if he bounces back from that inadequate final two months of the 2025-26 campaign, which saw Buffalo reach the postseason for the first time since 2011.
Early projections for Buffalo Sabres' 2026-27 forward lines
The Sabres finished fifth in the league with 288 goals scored last season, but whether they'll be able to meet (or exceed) that strong performance is uncertain following the exits of Tuch (Washington Capitals) and defenseman Bowen Byram (Chicago Blackhawks), though.
A lot of it will come down to Buffalo's impressive cache of young players stepping up.
Ruff is likely going to try a lot of different combinations throughout training camp and the preseason, and they'll likely include some positional movement. The most notable one will be testing out Thompson both at center and on the wing in different lineup iterations.
The Sabres coaching staff has generally preferred the 6-foot-6 offensive dynamo on the wing, which helps cover up his defensive and faceoff weaknesses, but he's often been forced to the middle because of the club's limited options.
We'll assume Thompson will operate as a center to create this group of mock lines:
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Zach Benson | Tage Thompson | Josh Doan |
Jiri Kulich | Josh Norris | Konsta Helenius |
Jason Zucker | Ryan McLeod | Jack Quinn |
Noah Ostlund | Peyton Krebs | Beck Malenstyn |
Ideally, Noah Ostlund would find himself somewhere in the top nine, but he's best suited among the middle-six wingers to handle defensive responsibilities.
Once injuries arise, which is probably going happen even before Opening Night against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 1, Ostlund moves up, Sam Carrick takes over as the fourth-line center and Peyton Krebs shifts to the wing.
Carrick, Justin Danforth, Tyson Kozak and Conor Sheary are Buffalo's main reserve options up front.
As for McLeod, he ends up back with Zucker and Quinn to see whether they can rekindle some of the magic they produced before the sharp fall off near season's end.
It also leaves him in the ideal spot for his skill set: a third-line center. He's a smart, responsible center who's also capable of eating up minutes on the penalty kill. It's unlikely he'll ever become a point-per-game scorer, but he does pretty much everything else well.
In addition, the Sabres will need production for all over the lineup to offset the fact they probably aren't going to have one of the NHL's highest-scoring top lines.
McLeod, who's signed through 2028-29, is still a crucial part of the equation. That's the bottom line. How fans view him may have shifted a bit coming out of the playoffs, but he still owns a rock-solid track record.
He's not a fourth-line player.
Add us as a preferred source on Google