Buffalo Hoping Center Krebs Will Emerge As Key Cog

The NHLâ€s 2025-26 season is just about upon is, and here on THN.comâ€s Buffalo Sabres site, weâ€re near the end of our player-by-player series in which we break down each Buffalo playerâ€s expectations for the coming year.

Weâ€ve already looked at the Sabres†goalies and defensemen, as well as most of Buffaloâ€s top forwards. And in todayâ€s file, weâ€re looking at young center Peyton Krebs – one of the pieces the Sabres got in the trade that sent star center Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights. Below, weâ€re going to analyze whatâ€s reasonable to expect from Krebs in ‘25-26:

Player Name: Peyton Krebs

Position: Center

Age: 24

2024-25 Key Statistics: 81 games, 10 goals, 28 points, 13:56 average time on ice

2025-26 Salary: $1.45 million

2025-26 Expectations: Krebs was the 17th-overall pick of the Golden Knights in 2019, and while his adaptation to the NHL has been slow-but-steady – heâ€s averaged just 13:37 of ice time in 296 career games in hockeyâ€s top league – Krebs delivered modest-but-career-highs in goals (10), assists (18) and points (28) last season. The 24-year-old is also well ahead of his prime, so you can understand why Buffalo still has hopes that Krebs will live up to his draft status and emerge as a top-six forward.

In that regard, Krebs began to show some serious promise at the end of next season, scoring four goals and 10 points in his final 13 games of the season. Thereâ€s no assurance Krebs can maintain that pace this coming year, but if Krebs can ascend through Buffaloâ€s depth chart up front – and do so at the relative-bargain price of $1.45 million – the Sabres are going to be delighted.

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Krebs may never be the type of player Buffalo envisioned heâ€d be when he was one of the centerpieces of the Eichel trade. But thereâ€s still time for him to salvage himself – and not to mention, to get a significant raise when he becomes an RFA at the end of the ‘25-26 season. 

Krebs needs to come out of the gate confident and finding a way to contribute to Sabres wins, even if heâ€s beginning the season on Buffaloâ€s fourth line with wingers Beck Malenstyn and Justin Danforth, neither of who are offensive dynamos. Krebs has a tough challenge ahead of him trying to make his way into a top-nine spot in Buffaloâ€s group of forwards, but thereâ€s still time for him to realize his potential and make a notable impact for the Sabres. 

Krebs averaged slightly less than 14 minutes of ice time last season, but Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff has to be open to giving Krebs more minutes this year. You want your young players to feel like thereâ€s a fair and honest opportunity to rise through the pecking order, so Krebs needs to know there’s a merit-based process that he can take advantage of and assert himself as a long-term piece of the puzzle in Western New York.

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Although Krebs isnâ€t likely to usurp centers Ryan McLeod and Josh Norris to be one of the Sabres†top two pivots, Krebs can force Ruffâ€s hand and give him no choice but to dole out ice time more evenly and reward Krebs for earning more kicks at the can. It’s entirely up to Krebs to dictate how many opportunities he gets this coming year, and Buffalo has to give him a decent shot at growing into a veteran component of the Sabres moving forward.

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