Biggest storylines at forward for 2026-27 Sabres

Heading into training camp, Sabres.com is previewing the most important players, lineup questions and storylines for the 2026-27 season. Up first: the forwards.

Returning: Tage Thompson, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Josh Norris, Jason Zucker, Jack Quinn, Ryan McLeod, Peyton Krebs, Beck Malenstyn, Sam Carrick, Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, Tyson Kozak, Justin Danforth

New: Conor Sheary

The messaging from the Buffalo Sabres was consistent this offseason: They have plenty of forward talent to fill the void left by Alex Tuch, their alternate captain and third-leading scorer who left for Washington.

Buffalo spent its cap space signing Zach Benson, Beck Malenstyn and Peyton Krebs to long-term contracts, and the team also brought veteran winger Conor Sheary back on a free-agent deal.

The mostly intact core, plus the continued emergence of young centers Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich, inspires confidence in another playoff-caliber forward group for 2026-27.

• Read: Helenius, Ostlund, Kulich ready to take center stage in Buffalo

“I believe in (the) growth in those young players, that they’re going to get to the next level just by getting a year more experienced, older, stronger, quicker, all those things,” said general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen. “So, I think you’re going to see some of these guys gravitate to the opportunity that was left there by Alex Tuch’s departure, and we’ll be fine.”

Here are some of the biggest questions surrounding those forwards to follow once training camp begins next week.

Who’s on the 1st line?

Tage Thompson has played both center and wing the last couple seasons, sometimes switching positions (with great results) when his scoring’s gone cold. But with frequent linemate Tuch out of the picture, could Thompson begin the season at right wing?

Here are some combos that could help the perennial 40-goal scorer have another big season.

Zach Benson – Josh Norris – Tage Thompson

This was the first line through the 2025 preseason and into opening night, but Norris’ injury quickly put a wrench in those plans. They’ve played well when together, including Games 6 and 7 against Montreal, and it makes sense why: Norris has the speed to lead rushes and get things moving up ice, Benson is a dogged puck retriever, and both guys have the playmaking ability to set Thompson up for shots.

The Sabres saw top-line-center potential when they traded for Norris, and after his productive first season with the team – 34 points (13+21) in 44 games – he could get more opportunities to prove it this year.

Zach Benson – Jiri Kulich – Tage Thompson

It’ll be interesting to see how quickly Kulich, who missed most of last season due to a blood clot, gets back up to NHL game speed. Once he’s there, the 22-year-old could slot back into a line coach Lindy Ruff has raved about.

“A year ago, when we finished the last 20 games, he was the No. 1 center playing against every top line. He was on a line with Benson and Thompson, and we went [12-7-1]," Ruff said this May, reflecting on the end of the 2024-25 season. “It just told me this guy can play against anybody. He can outskate guys. He transported pucks out of the zone. Lethal shot that was scoring big goals. And that threesome was dominating other teams and playing other teams’ top lines night in, night out.”

Peyton Krebs – Tage Thompson – Josh Doan

The line that turned things around; these guys teamed up during the western road trip last December and played together for most of 14 games. The Sabres went 12-2-0 in that stretch with great even-strength scoring from Thompson (8+6), Krebs (3+5) and Doan (4+3). For the season, they played 183 minutes together at 5-on-5 and controlled 54 percent of the expected goals (Natural Stat Trick).

Improvement at the dot?

As well as the Atlantic Division champs played last year, they won an NHL-worst 45.9 percent of their faceoffs in the regular season. In the playoffs, 45.7 percent.

Some improvement should come with a full season of Sam Carrick, who won 57.3 percent – including 60.3 percent in the defensive zone – in 13 games before his late-season arm injury. Acquired before the trade deadline, the 34-year-old immediately became Ruff’s most trusted faceoff guy and should be a staple at fourth-line center this year.

More of Norris (49.5 percent in reg. season, 56.3 in playoffs) should help, too. And Justin Danforth, a career 49.8 percent, is expected back as a depth option after a kneecap injury limited him to four games last season.

The young Sabres might not be a great team at the dot; the best faceoff men are always veterans like Vincent Trocheck, Claude Giroux and John Tavares, whose teams happened to ranked first, second and third in the NHL in 2025-26. But if Buffalo can inch closer to 50 percent, middle of the pack, it’ll make a huge difference – especially on the power play.

What about PP1?

Despite some strong stretches, Buffalo’s power play ranked 21st leaguewide (19.5 percent) last season. Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin are mainstays on the top unit, but it’s been a rotating cast of other forwards with them.

At its best, the group won 50-50 battles, extended zone time and possessed the puck down near the goal line, instead of running everything through Dahlin up top. Benson and Doan should both see more opportunities there after creating some great goals last season.

Ostlund also looked like a fit on PP1 in limited action, and his passing skill (and solid shot) could be the answer on the right flank. So, too, could the hard-shooting Kulich. And Norris and Jason Zucker have strong track records on the power play, giving the coaching staff plenty of options to mix, match and find the best top unit. A couple possibilities:

Roster competition

Assuming the Sabres roster three goalies and seven defensemen, that leaves 13 spots for 16 forwards (before injuries). These next few weeks will help determine which guys might start the season in Rochester, where the young centers fit and how the lines will look on opening night.

As Kekäläinen put it: “We have a very positive problem: We don’t know where to put every player.”