ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres aren’t done yet.
In the days and hours leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft, the Sabres were among the most active teams in the NHL. They traded Bowen Byram and the negotiating rights to Alex Tuch. Then they added Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger via trade on Friday morning. The big move for a difference-making NHL player didn’t materialize, so the Sabres made all five of their scheduled picks throughout the weekend.
Here’s the draft class:
Round 1, pick No. 4: Daxon Rudolph, RHD, Prince Albert (WHL)
Round 1, pick No. 20: Ilia Morozov, C, Miami University (NCAA)
Round 4, Pick 124: Olivers Murnieks, C, Saint John (QMJHL)
Round 5, Pick 156: Doman Szongath, C, KooKoo Jr. (FINLAND-JR.)
Round 6, Pick 188: Dylan Dumont, W, Drummondville (QMJHL)
Those names won’t impact the 2026-27 Sabres, though. And after the most exciting Sabres season in more than a decade, fans are finally done clinging to the future and are focused on the present. The prospect pool got a lot stronger this weekend. In the big picture, that matters. But the Sabres also have a competitive window they need to capitalize on.
“If you ask the entire amateur scouting staff, we would have been fine if we traded all those picks away if we were making our NHL team better,” Sabres assistant general manager Jerry Forton said. “(General manager) Jarmo (Kekäläinen) and I talked about this an awful lot. If there were trades that were available to either make our team better or even move down or trade the pick outright, we would have had zero hesitation and been really excited about that. I didn’t hear anything that really helped our team in terms of making an impact and making our team better right now.”
There are still some big names lingering on the trade market, so it’s still possible a move is coming. And despite an underwhelming free-agent class, there are useful players available to sign on July 1.
The Sabres have $13.8 million in cap space, per Puckpedia. Here’s a look at where things stand:
Forwards under contract: 13
Projected forward lines
Left wingCenterRight wing
Zach Benson
Josh Norris
Tage Thompson
Noah Östlund
Konsta Helenius
Josh Doan
Jason Zucker
Ryan McLeod
Jack Quinn
Tyson Kozak/Jiri Kulich
Sam Carrick
Justin Danforth
Forwards without a contract: Beck Malenstyn (UFA), Peyton Krebs (RFA), Josh Dunne (UFA), Tanner Pearson (UFA), David Kämpf (UFA)
Defensemen under contract: 6
Projected defenseman pairs
Left defensemanRight defenseman
Rasmus Dahlin
Mattias Samuelsson
Owen Power
Louis Crevier
Olen Zellweger (RFA)
Conor Timmins
Extra: Zach Metsa
UFAs: Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn
Goalie under contract: 4
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis, Devon Levi
Winners and losers from the 2026 NHL Draft
Scott Wheeler
So what’s left to handle? Here are some lingering questions coming out of the draft:
Is there another forward coming?
The idea of replacing Tuch one for one isn’t necessarily feasible. Kekäläinen has expressed faith in the internal options the team has at forward from Jack Quinn down to players like Östlund, Helenius and Kulich. It’s also a crowded group at the moment with 13 forwards still under contract without accounting for either Krebs or Malenstyn (more on them in a bit). It feels like one more player is needed. We outlined some free-agent forwards who could fit the Sabres last week. If the Sabres want a bit more ruggedness along with some leadership, Mason Marchment and Anders Lee could be interesting options. If it’s scoring they’re worried about, Patrick Kane and Mats Zuccarello could add some playmaking. But prices can get funky on the free-agent market.
What will happen with Malenstyn and Krebs?
Malenstyn and Krebs were part of the hard-working identity the Sabres built late last season. Malenstyn set a franchise record for hits, is one of the fastest skaters in the NHL and contributed to Buffalo’s penalty kill. Krebs was one of Lindy Ruff’s most trusted players, playing on a few different lines and filling a variety of roles.
Malenstyn has leverage as an unrestricted free agent. He wants to return to Buffalo and would likely do so if he can get some term on his next deal. The average annual value shouldn’t be north of $3 million, but the security of a multi-year deal would be there on the open market. Krebs’ situation is different. He’s a restricted free agent, so the Sabres just need to tender him a qualifying offer to continue negotiating. Don’t rule out arbitration for Krebs, given that what he brings to the table is hard to put a value on.
If the Sabres really want to keep both Krebs and Malenstyn, it would likely take about $6 million total. That’s worth thinking about with just $13.8 million in space.
What does Zellweger’s contract look like?
Zellweger is an exciting addition for the Sabres, and Kekäläinen said he’ll have a chance to compete for a spot playing with Owen Power. But he’s also a restricted free agent, and his contract situation is interesting. AFP Analytics projects that he would make $6.5 million per year on a seven-year deal or just over $3.2 million on a two-year deal. Considering the Sabres have a ton of defensemen in the pipeline, it probably makes sense to bridge Zellweger and figure out the long-term situation in a couple of years. If Zellweger breaks out and commands a bigger deal in two years, that’s a good problem to have. But with Rudolph, Radim Mrtka, Maxim Strbaka and Adam Kleber all in the pipeline, among others, the Sabres will have options.
Will the Sabres make a move at goalie?
Levi will require waivers this season, so it’s decision time for Buffalo on its young goalie. With Luukkonen, Lyon and Ellis all still under contract, it’s tough to find room for Levi unless another move is made. What’s even more interesting is that the Sabres seriously inquired about Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck would have represented a rare opportunity to acquire a difference-maker in net. So taking a run at him doesn’t necessarily mean the Sabres will pivot to another goalie. But it’s further proof that Kekäläinen is exploring a lot of different options to upgrade this roster. The state of the roster suggests there are more moves to come.