Sabres Betting on Jack Quinn This Coming Season

Buffalo Sabres General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen has already had a busy offseason. Though he has made moves to ensure the Sabres are in a position to contend for years to come, some have wondered if he has done enough to make the team better for the 2026-27 season.

With Alex Tuch gone to the Washington Capitals and a tough schedule ahead, Kekalainen is betting on his young core to take them to the next level. The team needs a fast start, and it will be looking to a few young players to carry them. One of the most pivotal happens to be one of the most divisive names on the team: Jack Quinn.

A Step Forward in 2025-26

For the first 20 games of the season, it looked like Quinn hadn’t figured it out yet. He had just three goals and eight points through those first 20 games, and fans had had enough. But then he started to find his game.

Over his final 62 games, Quinn would tally 17 goals and 43 points (good for a 0.69 points-per-game pace). More than that, you could see a difference in his game. Even more encouraging: he set a career high with 20 goals on his worst shooting percentage (10.5%) ever.

Head coach Lindy Ruff talked early and often about how Quinn was shooting the puck well but just couldn’t finish. He started to find that finishing touch as the season wore on and would have finished closer to 60 points had he started the season on that same 0.69 pace.

Flashes of Dominance

In that development, you could see flashes of dominance from Quinn, especially later in the season and in the Sabres’ two playoff series. In stretches, Quinn would dance through defenders and wire dangerous chances at opposing goalies.

When he’s on, Quinn plays with just enough tenacity to make him tough to handle while remaining strong on the puck. But his shot is what really stands out. Quinn’s quick release can challenge goalies from anywhere on the ice.

Quinn will be 25 years old when the season begins, and it feels like he’s been building to something bigger. It wasn’t long ago that most within Buffalo circles felt he was capable of 30 goals. With Tuch gone and an elevated role, that might not feel so far-fetched as it once did.

Can He Help Make Up for the Loss of Tuch?

Despite the fact that he has been rumored in some wild trade packages, it seems like the Sabres are more than content to have Quinn back for the 2026-27 season. He showed a marked improvement, more consistently delivering on the potential that made him a top 10 draft pick in 2020.

The Sabres can’t afford him to start as slowly as he did last season, but his budding offense could help replace the 33 goals that departed with Tuch. There is more to Tuch’s game that will need to be replaced elsewhere, but Quinn finding another gear would help mitigate the veteran winger’s loss.

Quinn being able to up his offensive game would also add another layer to the top nine. The Sabres are deep offensively already, but Quinn elevating his offense would give them greater flexibility and make them tougher to defend overall.

A Future of Uncertainty

What the future holds for Quinn remains murkier than virtually anyone else on the roster. He will be up for a new contract and could be a potential offer sheet candidate if he trends upward for the second season in a row.

In the meantime, the Sabres are going to be leaning on the soon-to-be-25-year-old Quinn to help get them back to the playoffs. After years of potential, it feels like the Sabres may finally seeing Quinn deliver.