Buffalo Sabres 2025-26 Player Grades: Noah Ostlund

Looking back on the 2025-26 season, Buffalo Sabres fans feel optimistic. There will be plenty of time think about what comes next, but for now, we take a look back at each player’s season and how they fared.

From the outside, it doesn’t necessarily look like Noah Ostlund had that big of an impact. But for those who watched the Sabres this season, he had a major impact and looks like he can be a player for the Sabres in the near future.

Production

It is tough to measure Ostlund’s impact based on pure numbers. His 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games this season don’t fully underscore the impact he had on the Sabres. More often than not, he found himself playing with the Sabres top forwards and held his own.

Ostlund may be diminutive in size but he’s a slick skater and has deft playmaking abilities. He is the kind of player that can play anywhere in the lineup. He can be dangerous with his underrated shot but will mesh well with a more natural finisher on his line.

In the playoffs, he was a true difference-maker. He entered the lineup in the middle of the series against the Boston Bruins and was immediately one of the team’s best forwards in the two full games he played before ultimately bowing out to injury.

Intangibles

Ostlund is a hard worker with a dynamic aspect to his game. He has a quiet intensity, is constantly moving, and has the kind of high-end creativity that fits well with this current group of Sabres forwards.