Sabres select 'Black Aces' for 2026 NHL Playoffs after Amerks' elimination

The Buffalo Sabres appear to have bolstered their practice group for the remainder of the 2026 NHL Playoffs by bringing up a handful of players from the Rochester Americans following the Amerks' recent elimination from the AHL postseason.

Prized prospects Konsta Helenius, Radim Mrtka and Devon Levi are among the club's "Black Aces," the term for a longstanding NHL tradition of adding players to the roster after a team's top minor league affiliate is knocked out of the playoffs.

Heather Engel of NHL.com passed along the complete call-up list:

The Americans struggled significantly during the stretch run of the AHL campaign, but they'd built a large enough lead in the playoff race to still secure one of the North Division postseason berths. Alas, they were sent packing by the Toronto Marlies in the opening round.

Helenius led the Amerks in scoring with 63 points (21 goals and 42 assists) across 63 appearances in the regular season. He added two goals and a helper in three playoff contests.

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Helenius is ticketed for a full-time role with the Sabres next season, and fans have started calling for him to join Buffalo's postseason lineup, especially in wake of an injury to Noah Ostlund in Game 5 of the team's first-round series against the Boston Bruins.

That's something that falls firmly in the "break glass in case of emergency" category, though. If the 19-year-old Finnish sensation, who joined the organization as the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, plays another game for the Sabres this season, it'll burn the first year of his entry-level contract.

Should that be a complete deterrent for Buffalo's front office, led by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, if a scoring line role becomes available via another injury? No, but it's definitely part of the conversation for a club facing some salary-cap constraints in the near term.

Having Helenius under a team-friendly contract for an additional year will help, particularly if the Sabres want to give Alex Tuch, an impending unrestricted free agent, a lucrative long-term extension.

It's a bit surprising Zac Jones, a 25-year-old defenseman who signed with Buffalo last summer, didn't make the Black Aces list.

Jones earned an AHL All-Star selection while posting an impressive 62 points (10 goals and 52 assists) in 60 games. Scoring better than a point per game as a blueliner is always noteworthy. That said, the Blue and Gold have ample defensive depth at the moment, which leaves him far down the depth chart.

Even if nobody on the list ends up seeing ice time during the Sabres' postseason run, getting to experience the intensity of playoff practices will be beneficial.

Buffalo skyrocketed up the Eastern Conference standings starting in early December because it started outworking opponents on a nightly basis. Its forecheck was relentless, and that's continued to show through in the opening-round battle with the Bruins.

It'll also serve as a palette cleanser for Amerks players who've dealt with a lot of losses over the past few months as injuries and Buffalo call-ups hindered the team's ability to compete.

In addition, it's an opportunity for notable names like Mrtka (the No. 9 selection in last year's draft) and Levi (the franchise's longtime top goalie prospect who now faces an uncertain future) to impress the front office and coaching staff before an important summer.

So, it's a great chance for Helenius, who scored four points in nine games during a brief Buffalo stint earlier in the campaign, and the organization's other high-profile prospects to get a feeling for what it's going to take to make an NHL impact in 2026-27 and beyond.

For now, the Sabres hold a 3-2 series lead and are focused on trying to eliminate the Bruins in Game 6 on Friday night in Boston.

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