3 Sabres Who Are Expendable This Offseason

After playing such great hockey this past season, it will be hard to swallow seeing this roster change in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, the reality of being a legitimate contender means that there will need to be changes on the ice, and that some players will have to be moved on from. For the Buffalo Sabres, this does not necessarily mean that any of the players mentioned performed worse than they should have, simply that their role has either been replaced or can be for a more modest means.

Justin Danforth, Forward

I am sure most Sabres fans forgot that Justin Danforth was on the team, and that is understandable, considering he played a mere four games in a Buffalo uniform before being knocked out of the lineup with a season-ending injury. Danforth signed a two-year contract with the Sabres in the last offseason, and he still has one more year left on that deal. While he may have a lot he could still offer the team if he played, his role was taken over, and he does not have as secure a space anymore.

With Beck Malenstyn being as good as he was this past season, Danforth and his style of play could offer a bit of a complement to the fourth line, but the Sabres have enough players to round out that grouping. The Sabres will not have to do much to move him if they choose to, but his role and his spot were taken over and held by Tyson Kozak, Jordan Greenway, and even Sam Carrick (when healthy). I just do not see a reason to keep him around when they have more players who can do what he does already.

Jack Quinn, Forward

The 2025-26 season was easily Jack Quinn‘s best season of his career. Posting highs in nearly every category, he showed that it can happen when hard work and talent mix in just the right ways. The unfortunate part is that the roster is becoming crowded, and he could become a good trade piece for the Sabres to truly upgrade their forward group, while allowing a similar young player like Jiri Kulich to step in to his spot.

Quinn has one year left on the two-year bridge contract that he signed, so the Sabres do not need to move him immediately, but with his cheap salary ($3.375 million per year) and his expiry status on the contract making him a restricted free agent, the Sabres have the ability to move him and get a lot of value before things get expensive.

Peyton Krebs, Forward

This one might ruffle some feathers, as Peyton Krebs played his best hockey all season long, and then into the playoffs as well. He was a heart and soul kind of player, and he was always one of those guys who would run through a wall for his team. With that said, Krebs not only has the highest value trade-wise he has ever had, but he too has been essentially replaced by another young forward who can do what he does, but better.

With the emergence of Noah Ostlund and his abilities to be so versatile at any forward position, the price it will cost to keep Krebs around just does not match up with the Sabres’ long-term goals. If they want to improve other places in the roster, they will need cap room to do it, and spending somewhere between $3.5-4.5-million per season on Krebs just does not make sense.

The sad matter of fact is that he, along with the rest of the players on this list, has just been outmatched or outclassed by the young guns who have stepped up.