BUFFALO – When the Sabres overhauled their third and fourth lines during the offseason by trading for Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn and signing two free agents, center Peyton Krebs’ future here became uncertain.
Krebs, the Sabres’ last restricted free agent, is officially back for his fourth season, having signed a two-year, $2.9 million contract on Tuesday. But as training camp opens today with the first on-ice sessions in KeyBank Center, it’s unclear where he fits.
Right now, Krebs, who has enjoyed regular duty for more than two seasons, might be their 13th forward.
General manager Kevyn Adams aggressively reshaped his bottom six, infusing more grit and oomph, elements the Sabres sorely needed.
Adams added talent with input from new coach Lindy Ruff, so McLeod – who cost the Sabres prized prospect Matt Savoie – Malenstyn, Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Sam Lafferty all likely rank ahead of Krebs on the depth chart.
Krebs, 23, set career lows last season, mustering four goals and 17 points in a career-high 80 games. His ice time dipped 80 seconds per appearance to a career-low 12 minutes, 30 seconds.
He registered just 74 shots on goal. His meager 5.4 shooting percentage and 6.82 expected goals both ranked last among regular Sabres forwards.
You get the idea. He has compiled 20 goals and 66 points in 215 career NHL contests.
While Krebs, a key piece in the Jack Eichel trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, has tried to embrace a checking role and morphed into a bit of an agitator, the Sabres expect him to produce more offense. He hasn’t seized his opportunities to play up in the lineup.
Unless there’s an injury during camp, he might have to wait for his chance to play.
As Krebs’ situation illustrates, the Sabres don’t have many (or any) open roster spots.
Still, could a high-level prospect like Jiri Kulich, who scored 51 goals over his first two seasons with the Rochester Americans, or Konsta Helenius, who thrived as a teenager in a men’s league in his native Finland, force his way onto the roster? If someone wows the Sabres during camp and looks ready to contribute, chances are they will make room for him.
After an NHL-record 13-year playoff drought, the Sabres must do everything to win right now.
Some other story lines to follow during camp are below.
Who’s the captain?
Having traded Kyle Okposo before last season’s deadline, the Sabres must name a new captain.
During his first stint in Buffalo, Ruff often moved the captaincy around. In the seasons before and after Daniel Briere and Chris Drury each served as co-captains, he rotated the ‘C,’ naming a new one each month.
But those were unique circumstances. Prior to the Oct. 4 season opener, Ruff will likely name one captain.
Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who served as an alternate captain under Okposo, has emerged as the top candidate to wear the prestigious letter. Not only is the Swede the Sabres’ most talented player, he possesses heart-and-soul qualities.
How will the Sabres respond to Ruff?
Adams fired Don Granato and brought back Ruff, who coached the Sabres from 1997 until 2013, to instill more accountability and push players to the next level.
Players, of course, say they respect Ruff, the winningest coach in franchise history, and are excited about his arrival. But will they follow his lead?
The Sabres burned through six coaches after Ruff’s first stint ended. A strong argument can be made only Granato, who moved the Sabres to within one win of a postseason berth in 2022-23, got through to his players and made them better.
Short camp
Ruff doesn’t have much time to work with his team. The Sabres leave next Tuesday for Munich, Germany, where they play an exhibition game Sept. 27 against Red Bull, a team in Deutsche Eishockey Liga. They open the regular season Oct. 4 and 5 against the New Jersey Devils in Prague, Czechia.
They have six days of practice and play three preseason games before flying overseas. Another group comprised of AHL, ECHL and perhaps junior players will stay in Buffalo and play the remaining exhibition contests.
Notes: The Sabres on Tuesday released a 59-man camp roster featuring 32 forwards, 20 defensemen and seven goalies. … Adams and Ruff are scheduled to address the media this morning. … The Sabres have three practice sessions scheduled for each of the first two days of camp. On Friday, there’s one session and a scrimmage.
Who has the higher totals this year: Josh Allen total TDs or Tage Thompson goals? Josh Allen passing TDs or Alex Tuch goals? @BillHoppeNHL discuss that, the #Bills win over Miami and a lookahead to Jacksonville, while the #Sabres are set to open camp.https://t.co/JX2W91XLSO
— Nick Sabato (@NickSabatoGNN) September 17, 2024