Noah Ostlund expresses excitement about potential Sabres kid line

The 5-foot-11 Swede does possess more offensive upside, as he displayed while posting 36 points in 45 games for the Amerks in 2024-25, but he placed a clear emphasis on making sure to play strong two-way hockey throughout his rookie campaign.

Even if that trio isn't together on Opening Night, there's a pretty strong chance they'll end up skating together at some point during the 84-game schedule.

Regardless of where Ostlund lands in the lineup, Buffalo would like to see the 2022 first-round pick move closer to the 50-point plateau in 2026-27.

Noah Ostlund says Sabres extension came together quickly ahead of training camp

Front offices around the NHL were working feverishly all summer, and even more so in recent weeks, to sign players to eight-year contract extensions before the league's new collective bargaining agreement went into effect, which has now limited the maximum contract length to seven years.

It sounds like Ostlund's new deal was a pretty recent decision, though.

"No. Not really," he said on Sabres Live went asked if it was a long negotiation process. "Maybe a week or two. Not too long, I'd say."

There's a fair amount of projection from Buffalo, led by general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, in this case since Ostlund only has 68 regular-season games under his belt.

That said, there's a common theme between all the players who've signed long-term extensions with the Sabres since Kekalainen took over the front office in December (Ostlund, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Peyton Krebs and Beck Malenstyn): they're all defensively responsible.

Buffalo is confident the offense will arrive, at least when it comes to Ostlund, Benson and Doan, because of the team's preferred up-tempo, free-flowing style of play under Ruff. Being able to play a 200-foot game is crucial when playing at that pace, though.

All three of those young players, along with Kulich and Helenius, will be expected to take a step forward this season to help replace the lost production of Alex Tuch, who was sent to the Washington Capitals in a sign-and-trade deal, and, for at least a short time, Zucker.

Exactly how big of a leap they take will determine whether the Sabres are able to keep pace with the Eastern Conference's elite clubs for a second straight year. It's possible the Blue and Gold end up closer to the playoff fringe depending on those development arcs.

Either way, Ostlund is now locked in as a pivotal part of Buffalo's long-term core, and it was a wise bet by the front office based on everything he's shown so far.

The best is yet to come, though.