Camp Preview | Storylines to watch at forward

The Sabres spent the offseason adding veteran depth to a forward group that returns eight players who were lineup regulars last season, plus a group of prospects who could be on the precipice of taking the next step.

Training camp will give us our first glimpse into how the pieces fit together.

Below is a breakdown of the players and storylines to watch at forward as the Sabres hit the ice in the coming weeks.

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Returning players: Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, Jordan Greenway, Peyton Krebs,* Tage Thompson, Zach Benson

Notable departures: Jeff Skinner, Tyson Jost, Victor Olofsson, Zemgus Girgensons

Offseason additions: Beck Malenstyn, Jason Zucker, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Ryan McLeod, Sam Lafferty

*Remains an unsigned restricted free agent

Storylines to watch

1) Who slots into the top six?

The Sabres have a variety of candidates to occupy the top-six forward role vacated by Jeff Skinner, whose contract was bought out on June 30.

Skinner played the majority of his minutes the last two seasons on the left wing alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. The Sabres had success last season with JJ Peterka in that spot, outscoring opponents 13-5 when he shared the ice with Thompson and Tuch at 5-on-5.

Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn – the latter of whom is back healthy after leading all Sabres players in points per 60 minutes in an injury-shortened season – also figure to enter the year in top-six roles, which would leave one spot up for grabs.

Jason Zucker, with six seasons of 20-plus goals on his resume, is a candidate to fill that spot after signing a one-year contract in free agency. Jordan Greenway could offer a physical complement to a skilled line, or Zach Benson could take another step after playing 71 games as an 18-year-old last season.

Or the potential exists for one of the Sabres’ highly skilled forward prospects to make the jump – which brings us to our next storyline.

2) Which players are on the cusp of the NHL?

We can start this conversation with Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen, two first-round picks who have already enjoyed productive AHL seasons before their 22nd birthdays. Kulich led the Amerks with 27 goals last season; Rosen tied for the team lead with 50 points.

Both players have taken steps toward rounding out their games in the process. Seth Appert, who was promoted from Rochester head coach to Buffalo assistant coach this summer, counted on Rosen as an all-situations player and described the 21-year-old as one of the team’s best defensive wingers last season. Kulich, 20, received top-line matchups at center.

Another possibility – as we saw last year when Benson cracked the roster months after being drafted with the 13th pick – is a strong camp from 2024 first-round pick Konsta Helenius. Adams described the centerman as having a style and experience level that could lend itself to North American pro hockey sooner rather than later.

Helenius has played multiple seasons in Finland’s top professional league and competed against NHL players at the IIHF World Championship in May.

“He’s a very competitive player that’s got a skill set that we think will translate really well to the National Hockey League,” Adams said. “You never know the timeline when a player like this will be ready to help you, but when you have the experience that he’s gained through the men’s league, through the World Championships, that certainly expedites things.”

3) The new-look bottom six

The Sabres added speed, physicality, and defensive experience to the bottom half of its forward group through the free agent signings of Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Sam Lafferty and the trade acquisitions of Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn.

Aube-Kubel, Lafferty, and Malenstyn each would have led Sabres forwards in hits last season. Malenstyn and Aube-Kubel were regular linemates with the Capitals, playing a shutdown role that comprised one of the highest defensive-zone usage rates in the NHL.

McLeod, meanwhile, played a key role for an Edmonton penalty kill that was vital to the team’s in-season turnaround and Stanley Cup Final run. He was on the ice for 4.20 power-play goals against per 60 minutes during the regular season, which was the seventh-best mark in the NHL. In the postseason, he played 36:43 shorthanded and was not on the ice for a goal against.

Then there’s the trait shared by all four of the aforementioned additions: speed. McLeod, Malenstyn, Aube-Kubel, and Lafferty all posted top skating speeds that ranked in the 93rd percentile of NHL players or higher last season, according to NHL EDGE.

4) Krebs’ contract

Peyton Krebs is the Sabres’ lone remaining restricted free agent. The 23-year-old is coming off a season that saw him play a career-high 80 games while continuing to settle into a two-way center role, oftentimes between former veterans Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo.

Adams praised Krebs’ development as a defensive centerman earlier in the offseason and said the possibility remains for him to step into a more offensive role moving forward.

“He showed a lot of signs over the last year of starting to understand the defensive side of the game,” Adams said in June. “He’s a very, very competitive kid, getting better and better in different areas. He’s got great vision. He has offensive skill. We know that from his track record before we traded for him, and now he’s gonna find his way.

“I think there’s a chance for him, an upside of being a player that can play higher up the lineup, whether that’s a center – which we believe he is – or maybe eventually could he slide to the wing? Yeah, we’re open to that.”