Addressing the Sabres’ Forward Logjam

The biggest questions tend to be around the last three: Helenius, Quinn, and Kulich. Will Helenius slot in at center or on the wing? It feels like Quinn is in the team’s plans to replace Alex Tuch’s departed offense, but he is a pending restricted free agent; how does he fit in? Will Kulich reclaim his place as the first-line center, or will he ramp up into that position?

Training camp will be a big determining factor in that regard. Head coach Lindy Ruff may just let the best man win and see how that works to begin the season. Everyone mentioned appears to have the potential of a young building block; it is just a matter of finding the right fit for them.

What to Do With Tage Thompson?

A good number of these decisions do also hinge on where to place Thompson, one of the game’s best goalscorers. He spent most of the season at center in 2025-26 but played his best down the stretch after moving to right wing. It feels like he is ideally a winger, but the team’s depth at center is spotty.

Moving him to center would ultimately require one of Kulich or Helenius to move to wing. If Thompson remains at wing, it is entirely possible for Kulich to resume his role and have Josh Norris back as the second-line center. Ryan McLeod can also fit that role.

Tentatively, it feels like the play is to keep Thompson on the wing, let Kulich resume top-line center duties, and go with Norris, McLeod, and Sam Carrick as the other three centers. That would leave Helenius and Ostlund on the wings, potentially pushing Jason Zucker to the fourth line, if not entirely out of the lineup.

A Trade Would Solve the Issue Quickly

The simplest explanation, if you could call it that, is to work out a trade. The Sabres are reportedly hot on the trail of Connor Hellebuyck, which would require one (or more) of the aforementioned pieces. That would resolve the logjam and give the Sabres a huge boost in net as well.

That said, the team has reportedly been in talks with the Jets about Hellebuyck since prior to the NHL Draft and obviously nothing has come to fruition. With the veteran netminder reportedly not reporting to training camp and potentially not suiting up if the Jets don’t trade him, that could force the issue and work in the Sabres’ favor if they are the destination.

General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen has done a fantastic job so far of finding value and making moves when it makes sense. He isn’t going to just add talented young pieces to land Hellebuyck if it doesn’t work for the team’s long-term vision.

Survival of the Fittest?

The Sabres are in a position where they realistically could just let the best of the best emerge from the pack. Allowing critical prospects to develop at their pace will also help them in the long term, setting them up for even more questions about who to play and who to move on from.

They say it is a good problem to have, and it is. Being able to find the best options from a talented group of players is as good as it gets. Ideally, the Sabres will not only find the right fit but garner value from the pieces that don’t. We may not find out immediately, but the 2026-27 season will reveal some interesting things about the future.