The Buffalo Sabres have had plenty of good players producing for them as they have gone on their warpath towards the 2026 Playoffs. Big names like Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Rasmus Dahlin have been the focus of attention as they have soaked in most of the big moments.
However, there has been another player that has flown very much under the radar, both with his production and with his gameplay as a whole; a player that has found ways to contribute in nearly every way out on the ice. That player is Peyton Krebs.
Krebs Is Deserving of His Top Line Role
For a decent portion of this season, most notably since the Olympic break, Krebs has found himself on the left side of Thompson on the Sabres’ first line for the majority of his play. Making the most of his opportunity, he is always skating hard, pressuring pucks, and being a hound towards the opposing team every night. His ability to strip pucks, dig down low and along the boards to win puck battles, all while having some very impressive playmaking abilities, has made him a valuable asset to his line.
He complements both Thompson and Tuch very well. Where Thompson functions as the skill-based scorer, Tuch as the two-way player, Krebs gets to be the annoying physical forward who can make some very nice passes when given the chance. They all play off of one another, and Krebs has been reaping the rewards of his line placement nearly every chance he gets to.
Krebs Provides Value No Matter Where He Plays
Even when Krebs finds himself being moved around the lineup, he has been one of Lindy Ruff’s best “Swiss Army knife” kind of players. He can be moved to the first line and play a key role alongside the star players, or he can be pushed down to the fourth line alongside Beck Malenstyn and grind out plays for ten minutes per night, making teams miserable. His value truly lies in how well he can adapt and adjust to where he plays in the lineup and who he is playing with.
It is strange, but refreshing to see someone so versatile and have some depth to their game. Is he an amazing all-around forward? No. But he fits in the definition of “renaissance player”, being one that can do a little bit of everything well. He has shown his ability to change and adjust on the fly, and that is why his coach looks comfortable using him in so many scenarios, and with so many other players.
Krebs’ Success Is Long Overdue, and He Earned It
It wasn’t always this good for Krebs. Prior to the Sabres’ success this season, he found himself looking for an identity and truly finding where he belonged on this roster. As the season has progressed, he really has come into his own, and it shows, not just in the little things, but on the scoresheet too. His 10 goals so far tie his career high from the 2024-25 season, along with his 25 assists, 35 points, and (so far) plus-8, all also being career highs. With eight games left in the season, he still has time to tack on a few more and really step up before the playoffs start.
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Krebs has taken his road in the NHL with grace. From being a first-round pick with big promise in 2019, to being a part of a huge trade that sent him to another team before he could even establish an identity, to adapting his game to be something more physical and uncomfortable compared to the skill game he was used to, Krebs has gone through the ringer to be what we can all see on the ice today. He has worked very hard and earned every minute he plays, and he deserves to be recognized for being one of the best silent contributors on this team, while the stars get all the credit from everywhere else.