Buffalo Sabres
The whole organization. One connected view.
Eastern Conference · Atlantic DivisionOpen GM workspace2026–27
Current roster2614 F · 9 D · 3 GKnown commitmentsUS$90.5M22 / 24 contracts pricedFarm system#9Strong · board consensusNext gamevs PHIOct 21
Line combinations
Provider projection · 2026-10-12
#9
#72
#22
#6
#86
#91
#19
#71
#15
#48
#10
#29
#23
#26
#8
#25
#73
#46Goaltending
Alex Lyon
#34 · BUF · 33 years- SV%
- GAA
- Games
2025–26 · NHL regular season
Shots on goal faced
888 saves92 goals allowed
Source & scope
NHL stats API goalie summary (aggregated across clubs), data/goalie-stats-2025-26.json · 2026-09-21T18:03:37.296Z. Current roster; statistics from the stated season, across clubs. This selection does not identify tonight’s starter. Condensed footage does not establish full video coverage.
Contract horizon
Cap & contractsKnown AAV · 2026–2722 priced deals · 2 AAV unknown
Ceiling · ConfirmedUS$104M
Known committed share87.0%
Ceiling less known AAVUS$13.5M
ForwardsDefenceGoalies
Line: season-specific ceiling. * Outlook or assumption. Balance is not certified cap room.
Cap outlook assumptions
Local to this panel; does not change the GM financial scenario ceiling.
Sources, coverage & amounts
Sum of known AAV, not a complete payroll forecast or available cap room. Relief, bonuses and other charges are excluded. The file may contain later-dated signed terms; its file stamp is not a historical as-of reconstruction.
NHL/NHLPA · 2026–27: $104M · 2026-05-06
NHL/NHLPA · 2027–28: $113.5M · 2025-01-31 · subject to adjustment
Elliotte Friedman / Sportsnet · 2028–29: $127.5M · 2026-09-25 · reported estimate, not confirmed
Beyond that, no published limit in the checked sources. Any chosen growth is a planning assumption, not a forecast. Expiring commitments do not automatically fund a complete future roster.
1 contracts with unresolved terms remain outside the bars.
- F
- 52,743,366 USD
- D
- 30,690,000 USD
- G
- 7,025,000 USD
0 priced signed extensions included this season.
Contract ledger · file stamp 2026-09-21
Prospect pathways
Prospects
Daxon RudolphD · Prince Albert RaidersNHLETA —
Radim MrtkaD · Seattle ThunderbirdsNHLETA —
Konsta HeleniusC · Rochester AmericansNHLETA —
Context & more prospects
Farm-board notables; recorded development stage, not an arrival forecast.
Daxon Rudolph: 68 GP · 2025–26 · 78 points
Radim Mrtka: 43 GP · 2025–26 · 34 points
Konsta Helenius: 63 GP · 2025–26 · 63 points
Selection follows the farm board's published notable order. The NHL step is a pathway, not a confirmed move. Arrival dates and current rights are not verified here.
Gavin McCarthy
Ilia Morozov
All pathways & roster lanes →What changed
All moves- Matt Grzelcykplaced on injured reserve
Reported event
Results, standings & source context
2026–27 regular season · current roster
Team overview
What the contracts tell us
What the contracts mean for the next moves
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 07
Next game
2026–27
Upcoming games, columns & export
| Date | Opponent | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs PHI | Regular season | ||
| at WSH | Regular season | ||
| at SJS | Regular season | ||
| at ANA | Regular season | ||
| at LAK | Regular season |
White noise · as of 2026-10-18 · social 2026-10-18
Buffalo Sabres are among the most talked-about (94th percentile); attention is up on the usual
How much the club is being talked about: the league's stories tagged to the club and to its players, daily pageviews of the club's article against its 90-day baseline, and posts naming the club on the connected networks (Bluesky). Attention, measured; not a claim about what it does to the room.
Social: .
Carrying the noise: Tage Thompson (), Owen Power (), Rasmus Dahlin ().
Latest from the league: Caufield’s second goal lifts Canadiens past Sabres in OT (2026-10-18) · Sabres engineer another comeback in OT loss to Habs (2026-10-18) · At the Horn | MTL 4 - BUF 3 (OT) (2026-10-18)
Contract ledger · researched 2026-09-21
Buffalo Sabres contracts, 2026–27 onward
Every contract CapOrCup could source, one row per player, one column per season. Certified rows match a club or NHL release. Reported rows come from a named outlet and are labelled. Contracts with no public source are listed separately, and none are estimated.
| Player | 2026–27 | 2027–28 | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forwards · | |||
| Josh NorrisCertifiedCM-NTC | |||
| Zach BensonCertifiedL | |||
| Tage ThompsonCertifiedCM-NTC | |||
| Josh DoanCertifiedRM-NTC | |||
| Ryan McLeodCertifiedC | |||
| Jason ZuckerCertifiedL | |||
| Peyton KrebsCertifiedC | |||
| Jack QuinnCertifiedR | |||
| Beck MalenstynCertifiedL | |||
| Sam CarrickReportedC | |||
| Noah OstlundReportedC | |||
| Tyson KozakCertifiedC | |||
| Defence · | |||
| Rasmus DahlinCertifiedDNMC | |||
| Owen PowerCertifiedD | |||
| Mattias SamuelssonCertifiedD | |||
| Olen ZellwegerCertifiedD | |||
| Conor TimminsCertifiedD | |||
| Louis CrevierReportedD | |||
| Zach MetsaReportedD | |||
| Goalies · | |||
| Ukko-Pekka LuukkonenCertifiedGM-NTC | |||
| Alex LyonCertifiedG | |||
| Colten EllisCertifiedG | |||
| Sourced total | |||
| |||
Cap or Cup · league-wide signals
Who is earning the cap hit
Each priced BUF skater compared with every priced skater at the same position in the league. Open a signal for the full drill-down on the league board: the tests, the numbers, and what would change it.
Private scenario · 2026–27
Buffalo Sabres cap planner
Enter figures you trust. The planner never turns missing contract data into a published total, and saves only in this browser.
Line 1
Thompson · Krebs · Benson
Line 2
Quinn · Doan · McLeod · Zucker
Line 3
Ostlund · Norris
Line 4
Malenstyn · Carrick · Kozak
Pair 1
Samuelsson · Dahlin
Pair 2
Power · Crevier · Timmins
Pair 3
Zellweger · Metsa
Projected lineup · as of 2026-10-12
Buffalo Sabres as the feed projects it
Sportradar NHL API v7, team depth charts depth chart (licensed feed (30-day trial)): the club's intended lines, pairs, power-play units and goalie order, under Lindy Ruff. Measured lines above come from last season's shift charts; this is what the club says it means to do. "Expected starter" is first on the chart, not a confirmed start.
Line 1 · Josh Norris · Tage Thompson · Jack Quinn
Line 2 · Zach Benson · Noah Ostlund · Josh Doan
Line 3 · Peyton Krebs · Ryan McLeod · Justin Danforth
Line 4 · Tyson Kozak · Sam Carrick · Beck Malenstyn
Pair 1 · Mattias Samuelsson · Rasmus Dahlin
Pair 2 · Olen Zellweger · Owen Power
Pair 3 · Zach Metsa · Louis Crevier
Power play 1 · Jack Quinn · Zach Benson · Noah Ostlund · Tage Thompson · Rasmus Dahlin
Power play 2 · Josh Doan · Ryan McLeod · Josh Norris · Owen Power · Olen Zellweger
Goalies · expected starter Colten Ellis · Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Official roster
Who is in the organization now
| Player | # | Pos | Age | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forwards · | ||||
| Zach Benson | 6 | L | ||
| Sam Carrick | 10 | C | ||
| Justin Danforth | 15 | R | ||
| Josh Doan | 91 | R | ||
| Konsta Helenius | 94 | C | ||
| Tyson Kozak | 48 | C | ||
| Peyton Krebs | 19 | C | ||
| Jiri Kulich | 20 | C | ||
| Beck Malenstyn | 29 | L | ||
| Ryan McLeod | 71 | C | ||
| Josh Norris | 9 | C | ||
| Noah Ostlund | 86 | C | ||
| Jack Quinn | 22 | R | ||
| Tage Thompson | 72 | C | ||
| Defense · | ||||
| Louis Crevier | 46 | D | ||
| Rasmus Dahlin | 26 | D | ||
| Dennis Gilbert | 44 | D | ||
| Matt Grzelcyk | 24 | D | ||
| Zach Metsa | 73 | D | ||
| Owen Power | 25 | D | ||
| Mattias Samuelsson | 23 | D | ||
| Conor Timmins | 21 | D | ||
| Olen Zellweger | 8 | D | ||
| Goalies · | ||||
| Colten Ellis | 92 | G | ||
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 1 | G | ||
| Alex Lyon | 34 | G | ||
2025–26 production
Last season’s scoring leaders
Club totals with BUF.
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1Range not available Tage ThompsonC | |||||
| #2Range not available Rasmus DahlinD | |||||
| #3Range not available Alex TuchR | |||||
| #4Range not available Ryan McLeodC | |||||
| #5Range not available Josh DoanR | |||||
| #6Range not available Jack QuinnR | |||||
| #7Range not available Jason ZuckerL | |||||
| #8Range not available Zach BensonL | |||||
| #9Range not available Bowen ByramD | |||||
| #10Range not available Mattias SamuelssonD |
Shots for
shots a game, expected per shot
Shots against
allowed a game, expected per shot
From the video · model judgement
How they gained the zone in condensed games
Read from the league's free condensed games: entries carried in against dumped in, entries denied at the line for and against, and the rest of what the model could see. A condensed game is a sample of the game, so these are observations from the games read, not season counts.
Games read: BUF at PIT (2026010016), CBJ at BUF (2026010024), BUF at DET (2026010041).
Coaching style · 2025-26
rolls four lines; rides his top four defence
How the bench was run, measured from the shift charts and the play-by-play (a mid-season coaching change is not separated). Each is set against the league median; style words appear only where the club is clearly away from it.
System group
Plays like Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets, Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks
Four groups found by clustering every club's shot profile for and against. The group is described only by the features that set it apart from the league; no label is invented for it.
Goal archive ·
Buffalo Sabres: every goal, with the league's video
Preseason, regular season and playoffs are kept apart. Each row links to the NHL's own highlight page; no video is hosted here. Where a clip has been reviewed, the reading of it is a model judgement of the frames, not a measurement.
Loading…
Assistant GM
Buffalo Sabres: the front-office read
Every idea below is computed from sourced contracts, 2025–26 production, roster lanes, pick ownership and standings. Nothing is a rumour. Prices are computed guides from production and contract surplus, not market quotes.
Direction and front office
Retooling
Reshaping the roster without a clear buy or sell pattern.
How this GM trades: . Sunk-cost risk: unknown.
Decisions that cannot wait
Most urgent
Ranked by how soon the decision is forced: offer-sheet dates, cap compliance, deadlines and sell-offs.
Jack Quinn
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Comparable market salary
- Offer-sheet band
- 2027–28 room (sourced)
Dmitri Buchelnikov (STL)
- 2025–26
- Contract
- Age
- Price guide
Aliaksei Protas (WSH)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Kevin Fiala (LAK)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Club injury listing
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Ivan Barbashev (VGK)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Plan for the cap you might get
Cap outlook
Sourced commitments against the announced or projected ceiling, and against a flat cap at today's (the ceiling stayed flat in 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24). Unpriced contracts are not counted, so real room is smaller.
| Season | Committed | Ceiling | Room (projected) | Room (flat cap) | Needs growth | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026–27 | ||||||
| 2027–28 | ||||||
| 2028–29 | ||||||
| 2029–30 |
Long, expensive contracts: Rasmus Dahlin ( through 2030–31: ); Owen Power ( through 2029–30: ); Josh Norris ( through 2029–30: ); Zach Benson ( through 2032–33: ); Tage Thompson ( through 2029–30: ); Josh Doan ( through 2032–33: ).
Expansion: none announced
Protection slots are worth something
The NHL has not approved or announced an expansion team or expansion draft. In June 2026 it gave the Friedkin family a six-month window to explore a second Texas team in Houston or Austin (about $3.5 billion for the fee and an arena). The Board of Governors met on September 22, 2026 without announcing a decision; any expansion would still need a vote of the Board. No expansion draft is announced. Reported, not official: a Houston or Austin team could be awarded before the end of 2026 and would begin play in 2029-30, which would put its expansion draft in June 2029. The league is also reported to be talking with at least two other groups about a 34th team. Checks here apply the rules to today's rosters and contracts as a planning scenario, not a forecast. The format is not announced either: one new club per draft (a club could face a draft in consecutive years) or two clubs in the same draft (a club could lose two players at once). Under the 2021 rules a club protects 7 forwards, 3 defencemen and 1 goalie (or 8 skaters and 1 goalie). Every no-movement clause in force must be protected and uses a slot, so its real cost is the player it pushes off.
If a draft is announced: ask a no-move player to waive for the draft, trade an exposed player now rather than lose them for nothing, or make a side deal with the expansion club to steer its pick.
Where the roster is thin
Needs
A position (centre, wing, defence pair or goal) counts as a need when most of its regulars are unsigned past this season, or when they produce below the league average for that position.
Left wing (upgrade)
- Established
- Lane 5v5 pts/60
See it coming
Offer-sheet exposure
This club's own RFAs for summer 2027: what their production is worth on the open market, which compensation band an aggressive offer would fall in, and whether the club could match with the room it has committed. The 2027–28 ceiling is not set; this uses the current ceiling.
Jack Quinn
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Comparable market salary
- Offer-sheet band
- 2027–28 room (sourced)
Louis Crevier
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Comparable market salary
- Offer-sheet band
- 2027–28 room (sourced)
Players other clubs might move
Trade targets
Realistic targets, not wish lists: young players stuck behind veterans, salary a cap-strapped club has to move, rentals on selling clubs, and good contracts priced by what they are worth. Young franchise-core players and anyone with a no-move or full no-trade clause are left out.
Dmitri Buchelnikov (STL)
- 2025–26
- Contract
- Age
- Price guide
Aliaksei Protas (WSH)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Kevin Fiala (LAK)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Club injury listing
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Ivan Barbashev (VGK)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Igor Chernyshov (SJS)
- 2025–26
- Contract
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Lukas Reichel (BOS)
- 2025–26
- Contract
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Latest roster move
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Nick Robertson (PIT)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Michael Carcone (UTA)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Club injury listing
- Projected slot
- White noise
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Noah Cates (PHI)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
Restricted free agents, summer 2027
Offer-sheet candidates
RFAs at clubs tight on cap. Compensation depends on the offer's AAV band and must be paid in the offering club's own picks; the Carlsson offer sheet in July 2026 showed how far a club will go to match.
Matias Maccelli (NYI)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Club injury listing
- Projected slot
- White noise
- Own 2027 picks held
Calum Ritchie (NYI)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Club injury listing
- Projected slot
- Own 2027 picks held
Gabe Perreault (NYR)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
- Own 2027 picks held
Maxim Shabanov (MIN)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
- Own 2027 picks held
Trades with three or more clubs
Multi-team ideas
Chains where every club receives a player in a need lane, gives up roughly what it gets, and stays under the cap. Salary retention is used at most once per contract (the 2025 MOU bars a second retention on the same contract within 75 regular-season days) and never above 50%.
No three-to-five-club chain involving this club passes every check right now.
Ideas to start from
Trade concepts
Each is priced from the player's tier and the contract's surplus over its remaining term, then cap-checked: salary in against salary out. A shape to test, not a final price.
Concept: Igor Chernyshov (SJS)
- Contract
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
- Opportunity
- Net cap change
Concept: Nick Robertson (PIT)
- Cap hit
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
- Opportunity
- Net cap change
Concept: Michael Carcone (UTA)
- Cap hit
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
- Opportunity
- Net cap change
Concept: Noah Cates (PHI)
- Cap hit
- Contract surplus
- Price guide
- Opportunity
- Net cap change
Sell while the price is high
Decisions on value contracts
Players in their prime who produce more than their cap hit suggests, with the deal ending within two seasons: the moment their trade value peaks.
No player meets the sell-high test.
Players to build around
Young players to build around
Players under 24, judged on NHL games played and five-on-five scoring rate, their prospect ranking, and what they are producing now.
Noah Ostlund
- 2025–26
- Contract
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
Zach Benson
- 2025–26
- Contract
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
Owen Power
- 2025–26
- Contract
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
Olen Zellweger
- 2025–26
- Contract
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Latest roster move
- Projected slot
- White noise
Konsta Helenius
- 2025–26
- Contract
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
Summer 2027
Free-agent targets
Pending UFAs (26 to 32, no extension signed) in this club's need lanes. The current cap hit is shown for reference, not as an estimate of the next contract.
Jason Robertson (DAL)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
- White noise
Dmitri Voronkov (CBJ)
- 2025–26
- Cap hit
- Age
- Stage
- Trend
- Role
- 3-season projection
- On-ice chance share
- Sequences started
- Availability
- Expected goals (2025–26)
- Top speed (EDGE)
- Bursts over 20 mph
- Projected slot
League context
Where the market is going
Price of production at signing: cap hit per point of pace in the season before the deal, from the sourced contract ledger. Samples depend on how many deals are priced.
The ledger holds contracts still active in 2026-27, so one- and two-year deals signed in 2024 are missing from the 2024 column. Segments with different term mixes are therefore not comparable here; the term-matched reading is the pricing study on the integrity page.
Goalies: by raw save percentage, a goalie's season after changing teams is almost unrelated to the one before (correlation across moves, vs for goalies who stayed). Adjusted for shot quality the gap disappears ( stayed vs moved): the system changes the shots a goalie faces, so judge goalies on goals saved above expected. of established-goalie trades returned a first-round pick against for productive skaters ( goalie trades: a small sample).
Largest cap hits signed in summer 2026: Leo Carlsson (), Connor Bedard (), Cutter Gauthier (), Pavel Dorofeyev (), Alex Tuch ().
Ask the Buffalo Sabres assistant GM
Answers use only the ideas above, the club's contracts and trades, and the CBA, and cite each one. If the facts do not support an answer, it says so.
GM horizon
Jarmo Kekalainen: 0.8 years in
How long GMs have lasted since 1967, and what that implies for a GM who has served this long. A GM who expects to be gone soon has a reason to buy today; this is the base rate, not a read on him.
Win-now premium
Buffalo Sabres: what deadline rentals cost
A rental is a pending unrestricted free agent bought between January 1 and the deadline. Its price is the pick value sent, in expected career NHL games. Part of a price can be rational: a win is worth more to a club on the playoff line. This splits the price above the league mean into what the standings on the trade date explain and what they do not.
Win value is the rise in the club's chance of reaching the playoff line from one more win, in percentage points. Units are expected career games of the picks sent; a price in cap-share dollars needs the Worth model on rentals, which is not adopted. Not netted: the rental's quality, salary retained by the seller, and players or prospects sent. A rental's expiry is quoted from the trade's NHL.com story, or from the contract archive where the story is silent (an archive expiry can be a restricted one).
Farm-system consensus · front-office read
The system should create useful NHL players, but its stars and organizational fit still decide the ceiling.
- 01Map every realistic graduation before buying a veteran blocker.
- 02Price surplus prospects by role probability, not name recognition.
- 03Protect the premium ceiling; trade from repeated position depth.
Draft picks · 2027–2029
Buffalo Sabres picks
Every round for the next three drafts: the club's own picks, picks it has acquired, and picks it has traded away, with any conditions. "Own" means the pick was checked against the club's trades since 2023; "Own, unconfirmed" means no trade is on record but that check has not been done.
Roster moves · as of 2026-10-17
Buffalo Sabres roster moves
Waivers, claims, injured-reserve placements, assignments to the minors and signings in the last 45 days, as the club announced them (Sportradar NHL API v7, league transfers feed; licensed feed (30-day trial)). Facts, not inferences: no cause is read into an injured-reserve placement, and what each move does to the cap lives on the cap table.
Topias Leinonen
Dennis Gilbert
Dennis Gilbert
Matt Grzelcyk
Ryan Johnson
Daniel Laatsch
Caleb Jones
Ryan Johnson
Dennis Gilbert
Olen Zellweger
Alex Lyon
Mattias Samuelsson
Olen Zellweger
Dennis Gilbert
Justin Danforth
Jason Zucker
Sawyer Mayes
Jean-Christoph Lemieux
Brayden Holberton
Cohen Bidgood
Caden Dabrowski
Jack Rathbone
Kristopher Richards
Conor Sheary
Conor Sheary
Jack Rathbone
Mattias Samuelsson
Topias Leinonen
Matt Villalta
Ryan Johnson
Dennis Gilbert
Jason Polin
Carson Meyer
Aidan McDonough
Trevor Kuntar
Mason Geertsen
Scott Ratzlaff
Talyn Boyko
Maxim Strbak
Radim Mrtka
Gavin McCarthy
Noah Laaouan
Vsevolod Komarov
Brendan Warren
Liam Valente
Graham Slaggert
Redmond Savage
Jake Richard
Matthew Peca
Zac Funk
Riley Fiddler-Schultz
Matteo Costantini
Thomas Bordeleau
Matt Grzelcyk
Cohen Bidgood
Caden Dabrowski
Brayden Holberton
Jean-Christoph Lemieux
Sawyer Mayes
Kristopher Richards
Injury listings · as of 2026-10-18
Buffalo Sabres injury listings
What the club has published (Sportradar NHL API v7, league injuries feed; licensed feed (30-day trial)): status, body area, listed-since and expected-return dates. CapOrCup infers no cause from a listing and keeps its own availability measure, games not dressed, separate.
Alex Lyon (G):
Conor Timmins (D):
Jack Rathbone (D):
Jason Zucker (LW):
Matt Grzelcyk (D):
Rasmus Dahlin (D):
Waiver wire · last 3 league days
Placed on waivers, league-wide
Every player any club placed on waivers in the last three league days, with what the feed shows next: claimed, cleared to the minors, or nothing yet. A claim costs no assets, only a roster spot and the whole contract, and claiming priority follows the standings.
Jacob Bernard-Docker
Aatu Raty
Alex Barre-Boulet
Fit components (description)
Who fits here: fit: not yet validated
No ranking of who fits Buffalo Sabres is shown until the move backtest passes. What follows describes how Buffalo Sabres plays and is coached, and the roster rules any addition must clear. The lane-based matchmaker stays on the Assistant GM.
Head coach: , in charge since 2024-10-04 (167 regular-season games on file). Assistants: Not on file.
How this staff has used players (2025-26), against what position and prior minutes predict:
Contracts counted toward the 50 limit: . Active roster for the 23-man limit: Not on file.
as of 2026-04-16
Buffalo Sabres
trades
Carolina Hurricanes receive
GM: Eric Tulsky
- Stiven Sardarian
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
- Future considerations
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
Washington Capitals receive
GM: Chris Patrick
- Tyler Kopff
Edmonton Oilers receive
GM: Stan Bowman
- Devon Levi
- 2028 7th-round pick · now owned by EDM
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
- 2028 3rd-round pick · now owned by BUF
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
Anaheim Ducks receive
GM: Pat Verbeek
- Anton Wahlberg
- 2026 2nd-round pick ()
Washington Capitals receive
GM: Chris Patrick
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
- David Kampf
- 2027 3rd-round pick · now back with WSH
Chicago Blackhawks receive
GM: Kyle Davidson
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
- Louis Crevier
- 2026 1st-round pick ()
- 2026 2nd-round pick ()
San Jose Sharks receive
GM: Mike Grier
- Michael Kesselring
- 2026 1st-round pick ()
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
- 2026 1st-round pick ()
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
- Tanner Pearson
Winnipeg Jets receive
GM: Kevin Cheveldayoff
- 2026 7th-round pick
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
New York Rangers receive
GM: Chris Drury
- 3rd-round pick
- 2026 6th-round pick
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
- Logan Stanley
- Luke Schenn
Winnipeg Jets receive
GM: Kevin Cheveldayoff
- Isak Rosen
- Jacob Bryson
- 2027 2nd-round pick · now owned by WPG
- 2026 4th-round pick · conditional
Carolina Hurricanes receive
GM: Eric Tulsky
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Jarmo Kekalainen
- Gavin Bayreuther
Pittsburgh Penguins receive
GM: Kyle Dubas
- Connor Clifton
- 2025 2nd-round pick · No. 39
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Kevyn Adams
- Conor Timmins
- Isaac Belliveau
Utah Mammoth receive
GM: Bill Armstrong
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Kevyn Adams
Boston Bruins receive
GM: Don Sweeney
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Kevyn Adams
- 2026 4th-round pick
New York Rangers receive
GM: Chris Drury
- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Kevyn Adams
- Erik Brannstrom
Ottawa Senators receive
GM: Steve Staios
- Dylan Cozens
- Dennis Gilbert
- 2026 2nd-round pick
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Kevyn Adams
Pittsburgh Penguins receive
GM: Kyle Dubas
- Colton Poolman
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Kevyn Adams
- Bennett MacArthur
Edmonton Oilers receive
- Matt Savoie
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Kevyn Adams
- Ryan McLeod
- Tyler Tullio
Chicago Blackhawks receive
GM: Kyle Davidson
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Kevyn Adams
- 2026 6th-round pick
Buffalo Sabres receive
GM: Kevyn Adams
Washington Capitals receive
GM: Brian MacLellan
- 2024 2nd-round pick
How the ledger is built
- 2024–25 onward: parsed from NHL.com's season trade pages, which list every trade. Each card links to the NHL.com announcement.
- 2019–20 to 2023–24: parsed from NHL.com trade announcements tagged to a club. Some trades are missing; those seasons are marked partial.
- "Details incomplete" means the announcement did not state one side; the original sentence is shown instead of a guess.
- Picks in 2027–2029 show their current owner from the verified pick ledger.
Statistical schedule · 2026-27 · as of 2026-10-18
Buffalo Sabres: difficulty rank #9Range not available
Every game priced by the model with the club's rest state. Difficulty averages four league ranks (opponents , rest , travel , back-to-backs ); expected points is the model's own forecast and depends on the club as much as the schedule. League table on the schedule page.
By month: 2026-10: games, expected points, opponents , back-to-back; 2026-11: games, expected points, opponents , back-to-back; 2026-12: games, expected points, opponents , back-to-back; 2027-01: games, expected points, opponents , back-to-back; 2027-02: games, expected points, opponents , back-to-back; 2027-03: games, expected points, opponents , back-to-back; 2027-04: games, expected points, opponents , back-to-back.
Game by game
games
Price is the model's chance for this club at the morning of the game with rest known; it moves when rosters are published. The spot names what the schedule did to the club that night.