Buffalo Sabres 2025-26 Player Grades: Jack Quinn

This offseason will be a pivotal one for the Buffalo Sabres. They will need to fill a big void and have to find a way to bring important depth pieces back. The good news is that head coach Lindy Ruff is back and their core is strong.

But before we can look ahead to the rest of the offseason, it helps to take a look back at the 2025-26 season. In this series, we take a look at each player and assign them grades. Today’s subject is a young player who went from beleaguered to a solid contributor: Jack Quinn.

Production

Quinn started to show potential in the second half of the 2024-25 season after dealing with frustrating injury after frustrating injury. In 2025-26, he built on that momentum and turned in his best campaign to date.

He hit career-highs in the following categories: games played (82), goals (20), assists (31), points (51), plus-minus (plus-four), and average time on ice (15:39). It isn’t quite the level of production that many hoped for two seasons ago, but it is a clear step forward for the young winger.

Intangibles

Though he isn’t quite the gamebreaker type, Quinn has an extra gear that allows him to takeover in stretches. There were several times last season where he would press and create chance after chance. In the playoffs especially, he was generating offense and just couldn’t find a way to finish.

Quinn plays just nasty enough that he isn’t a pushover, even if physicality isn’t the name of his game. He doesn’t get pushed around and his skill allows him to dance around defenders and create scoring chances like few others on the team can do on a consistent basis.

Overall Grade: B+

The only thing keeping his game from being an A-level is consistency. He still has prolonged stretches where he is invisible on the ice, but as we saw in the playoffs he can be impactful even when he’s not finding the back of the net.

With his skill and shot, the 30-goal projections from two season ago don’t feel crazy anymore. With an increased role, Quinn could bloom into a true top-six winger, the one the Sabres envisioned when they too him in the first round in the 2020 NHL Draft.

What Does the Future Hold for Quinn?

The Sabres are facing an interesting offseason. With Tuch out the door, they could be looking to make a big swing for a proven commodity. Their first-round pick will likely be included, but could someone like Quinn be packaged as well?

Quinn will be a restricted free agent again in 2027, and another strong season will earn him a raise. Is he part of the long-term plans in Buffalo or is now the time to cash in on his skill and growth? The future of Jack Quinn will be one of the offseason plots to watch.