There might not be a team in the NHL that has been hit harder with injuries than the Buffalo Sabres. It started almost immediately with Josh Norris suffering an injury in the opening game that he has not yet returned from.
They have also seen Zach Benson miss two long stretches, Jason Zucker miss a few games, and the latest being Jiri Kulich. The Sabres announced on Monday that he is dealing with blood clots that will force him to be out for the foreseeable future.
There was hope that this could be the season that the Sabres could end the playoff drought but it also felt like they had to have everything go right for that to happen. It is hard to imagine any team in the NHL could weather this type of storm and still be competitive.
However, the Sabres are going to need to keep playing and keep trying to find a way to win games. The absence of so many players can great opportunities for some of the younger players while others take bigger roles.
When looking ahead, these are the players the Buffalo Sabres are going to need to be much more effective if they want to save their season.
3 players the Buffalo Sabres need to deliver to save their season
Ryan McLeod
Jiri Kulich replaced Josh Norris on the top line with Tage Thompson after his injury, but with Kulich now out, they need to find another player to emerge. Against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Sabres moved McLeod and Alex Tuch up with Tage Thompson and found some success as Thompson and Tuch each had two points.
This is the line they should use as long as it is effective, and one way that can happen is if Ryan McLeod keeps winning in the faceoff circle. Earlier this season, McLeod had a faceoff percentage below 40% but in the past three games, he has been at 55%.
If the Sabres can continue to win the puck and gain control with Tuch and Thompson on the ice, it will certainly give them a better chance to turn the season around.
Noah Ostlund
McLeod has been operating as the center on the Sabres' second line, and moving him up means they need to replace him. That player needs to be Noah Ostlund, who is now looking at what can be his most consistent stretch of NHL games of his career.
Ostlund has appeared in seven games this season and is one game away from matching last year's total. In 15 games, he has one goal and one assist, but both points have come over the previous three games.
The former first-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft has a great opportunity ahead of him to show he belongs in the NHL as a middle-six forward. The Sabres appear to have settled on a line with Isak Rosen and Jack Quinn on either side of Ostlund that could give the Sabres a spark they need.
Konsta Helenius
The last player is one who hasn't even played a game yet in the NHL, but it might finally be time to call up Konsta Helenius. He was the Sabres' first-round pick last year and made a big impact in Rochester last season with 35 points in 65 games, with most of the points in the second half.
Helenius has carried that momentum over and has 10 points through the first 13 games this season. He could play either center or wing, but more importantly, he should give this offense another scoring option that they desperately need.
Unlike the other players, Helenius may only be up for a bit until Zach Benson, Jason Zucker, or even Josh Norris can return. However, a strong stretch of games could be enough for him to keep his spot and force Buffalo to send Isak Rosen back to Rochester or waive Mason Geertsen.