BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres signed Peyton Krebs to a two-year contract worth $1.45 million per season, the team announced on Tuesday. With that, the Sabres now have 23 players under contract before the start of training camp on Wednesday.
Krebs was the Sabres’ lone restricted free agent who hadn’t signed his qualifying offer. The Sabres tendered him an $874,125 qualifying offer, but Krebs wanted a longer term and more money and managed to get both with this contract. The Sabres now have just under $7 million in cap space, according to Puck Pedia.
Where is Krebs in his development?
Krebs, a first-round pick in 2019, was a key piece of the Sabres’ blockbuster Jack Eichel trade. Buffalo sent Eichel and a third-round pick in 2023 to Vegas for Alex Tuch, Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick. Krebs has since played parts of three seasons with the Sabres. He had seven goals and 15 assists in 48 games in Buffalo the year he was traded. But in the last two seasons, he’s played 154 games and has 13 goals and 30 assists while mostly playing a fourth-line role. Last season, he had four goals and 13 assists in 80 games.
By making a two-year commitment to Krebs, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams is signaling that the team still has faith in Krebs developing into a regular part of Buffalo’s lineup. Now 23 years old, Krebs has shown that he can handle playing a defensive role. When Krebs was centering Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons over the last two seasons, the Sabres had 55 percent of the shot attempts at five-on-five. While his offense hasn’t developed as quickly as he would have liked, Krebs has found other ways to be useful. He’s tenacious on the forecheck, willing to fight when necessary and a capable penalty killer. His teammates love him, too.
Krebs entered the offseason wanting to get stronger so that he wouldn’t get pushed around as easily. He also wanted to improve his shot, specifically his ability to get shots off from different angles. He was last among Sabres forwards in shots per 60 minutes of ice time at five-on-five last season. This summer, Adams expressed optimism about Krebs’ offensive upside but also noted that he seems to have embraced the idea of being a “200-foot player.”
Ultimately, the Sabres are showing patience in Krebs with this deal. Casey Mittelstadt didn’t reach his potential as a playmaking center with the Sabres until he was 24 years old. Adams is wary about giving up on a player too soon, especially one as highly touted as Krebs was as a prospect. Krebs still has time. The $1.45 million cap hit is higher than his recent production warrants, but that’s splitting hairs for a team with so much cap space.
Where does Krebs fit?
The Sabres spent this summer adding to the bottom six of their forward depth chart. Adams traded for Ryan McLeod, who projects as a third-line center, and Beck Malenstyn, a strong fourth-line winger. He also signed Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Lafferty and Aube-Kubel could be fourth-liners, too. Lafferty has a lot of experience at center. And all of those players mentioned have speed, something that will be a focus under new coach Lindy Ruff. There’s no question that Krebs’ attitude and spirit will make him a player Ruff likes. But is Krebs fast enough to fit the identity Buffalo is trying to play with this season?
If Krebs keeps his role as the fourth-line center, that would mean one of Aube-Kubel, Malenstyn, Lafferty or Greenway is not in the lineup. Salary won’t dictate playing time, but among forwards who aren’t on an entry-level contract, only Malenstyn has a lower cap hit than Krebs. So the $1.45 million for two years is a strong commitment relative to his production, but it doesn’t guarantee Krebs a role, especially with a coach like Ruff who is promising to demand accountability. Krebs will be competing for his job throughout the season because of the depth Buffalo has. We’ll dive deeper into a projected depth chart when we get a chance to watch a few practices and see how things come together. For now, here are a few guesses as to what the lineup could look like with and without Krebs.
If Krebs isn’t in the lineup, the Sabres could go with a forward lineup that looks like this.
If Krebs is part of the lineup, it could look a few different ways, but his most likely spot is on the fourth line.
Greenway’s lack of speed could hurt his chances of being an every-game player under Ruff. But he’s a great penalty killer and could be well-suited to play on the fourth line. Being able to rotate players in and out of the lineup depending on injuries, who is playing well and what the matchup calls for is an added bonus. Essentially, the players on those lines are going to have to earn what they get. That’s the best way to get the accountability Adams says the team is craving.
What does this mean for Kulich?
The Sabres are fresh off watching Jiří Kulich dominate the rookie tournament with five goals and an assist in three games. He’s noticeably stronger and has increased his competitiveness in puck battles in all three zones. He looks closer than ever to making an impact in the NHL. While his immediate NHL future is at wing, Krebs’ signing does still cloud the picture in the bottom six. This contract would indicate Krebs won’t be getting waived. The Sabres have 13 forwards under contract, all of whom are a safe bet to be on the team unless there’s a trade. If the Sabres keep 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies on their 23-man roster, that could leave room for Kulich or Lukas Rousek to make the team. But the Sabres will want Kulich to have a path to third-line minutes, otherwise, it makes more sense for him to play top-line minutes in the AHL. One thing helping Kulich is that outside of Zucker, the Sabres don’t have a proven goal-scorer projected to play on the bottom two lines. Kulich hasn’t shown it at the NHL level, but his scoring potential would be an asset on the third line and second power-play unit. So I’m not writing him off because of the Krebs signing. If he earns a job in training camp, the Sabres still have room to keep him.
What about the salary cap?
The Sabres are still comfortably below the salary cap with just under $7 million in cap space after this signing. That accounts for most of the savings from the Jeff Skinner buyout. That leaves Adams with ample space to swing a pre-season or in-season trade, provided he’s willing to spend to the cap ceiling. Buffalo could have played hardball with Krebs and waited for him to sign his qualifying offer, but for a slightly higher cost, the team now has two more seasons to evaluate Krebs and where he fits long-term.
(Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / USA Today)
