It’s inevitable for young NHL players to go through challenges along the way, and we’re seeing that with Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs. After putting up some big totals in the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Vegas Golden Knights selected the Calgary, Alberta native in Round 1 of the 2019 NHL Draft.
However, like most of the first-round picks made by Vegas, Krebs didn’t last long in Nevada. Prior to the draft in 2019, TSN’s Craig Button said that Krebs reminded him a lot of Ryan O’Reilly, which is ironic given the fact that O’Reilly is a former Sabre, and then it’s even more ironic that Krebs was involved in the Jack Eichel trade between Vegas and Buffalo on Nov. 4, 2021. In 196 games as a Sabre, he only has 63 points.
Krebs Hasn’t Grabbed Opportunity in Front of Him
During most of his tenure in Buffalo so far, as a center, Krebs has found himself behind the likes of Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, and Casey Mittelstadt, while spending a lot of time in between Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo. Obviously, there have been some changes to the Sabres roster with the departures of Okposo, and more importantly, Mittelstadt, who the Sabres sent to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Bowen Byram on March 6. After that trade, the opportunity for Krebs to move into a third-line center role with the Sabres presented itself.
Unfortunately, Krebs hasn’t taken advantage of said opportunity with only three points in his last 13 games. Buffalo is coming off a big win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night (April 2), and while Krebs looked good on a line with Lukas Rousek and Jeff Skinner, the Sabres need to see a lot more production from No. 19.
What’s Next for Krebs?
The Sabres have six games remaining on their schedule, and will most likely miss the playoffs for a 13th straight year. It’s a simple answer, but Krebs needs to play well and try to contribute more offensively during this final stretch, and in the offseason, the Sabres will have a decision to make on the pending restricted free agent (RFA). The reality is, he is only 23 years old, and it’s simply too early for the Sabres to give up on him. WGR’s Paul Hamilton provides a key example:
As far as Peyton Krebs goes, he may wind up signing his qualifying offer. You know, I don’t know if you want to give up on him yet. Because, I gave up on Casey Mittelstadt too early at about the age Krebs is, saying he was a bust, and I’ve turned out to be wrong. He (Mittelstadt) was just a late bloomer.
Paul Hamilton – 04/02/2024
As Hamilton mentioned, Mittelstadt was struggling at Krebs’ age, but now, the 25-year-old is a legitimate second-line center having another career season, and became a valuable asset for the Sabres to trade. The other example is Thompson. If the Sabres wanted to, they could’ve given up on him after his eight goals in 38 games (2020-21), but instead, they stayed patient, and signed him to a three-year deal with an annual cap hit of $1.4 million (2020-23). Now at 26, Thompson is locked up long-term, is an elite NHL player (14 points in his last 10), and is their first-line center. It’s hard to believe that he could’ve been dealt for as little as a fifth-round pick (per Elliotte Friedman). I’m not saying Krebs will ever be on Thompson’s level, but a bridge deal could really benefit the player and the team.
Related: 3 Things the Sabres Should Focus On to Close out the Season
Repeatedly, we’ve seen players leave Buffalo and have success elsewhere, and you don’t have to go too far to find the evidence of that. Just look at last season’s Stanley Cup Final between the Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers, which featured former Sabres like Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour. The decision on Krebs is obviously a different one because there’s no reason to believe that he wants to leave Buffalo, but if the Sabres decide to move on from the 23-year-old, the risk of him thriving somewhere else is a real possibility.
