The Sabres spent this summer adding to the bottom six of their forward depth chart. Adams traded for Ryan McLeod, who projects as a third-line center, and Beck Malenstyn, a strong fourth-line winger. He also signed Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Lafferty and Aube-Kubel could be fourth-liners, too. Lafferty has a lot of experience at center. And all of those players mentioned have speed, something that will be a focus under new coach Lindy Ruff. There’s no question that Krebs’ attitude and spirit will make him a player Ruff likes. But is Krebs fast enough to fit the identity Buffalo is trying to play with this season?
If Krebs keeps his role as the fourth-line center, that would mean one of Aube-Kubel, Malenstyn, Lafferty or Greenway is not in the lineup. Salary won’t dictate playing time, but among forwards who aren’t on an entry-level contract, only Malenstyn has a lower cap hit than Krebs. So the $1.45 million for two years is a strong commitment relative to his production, but it doesn’t guarantee Krebs a role, especially with a coach like Ruff who is promising to demand accountability. Krebs will be competing for his job throughout the season because of the depth Buffalo has. We’ll dive deeper into a projected depth chart when we get a chance to watch a few practices and see how things come together. For now, here are a few guesses as to what the lineup could look like with and without Krebs.
### What does this mean for Kulich?
The Sabres are fresh off watching Jiří Kulich dominate the rookie tournament with five goals and an assist in three games. He’s noticeably stronger and has increased his competitiveness in puck battles in all three zones. He looks closer than ever to making an impact in the NHL. While his immediate NHL future is at wing, Krebs’ signing does still cloud the picture in the bottom six. This contract would indicate Krebs won’t be getting waived. The Sabres have 13 forwards under contract, all of whom are a safe bet to be on the team unless there’s a trade. If the Sabres keep 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies on their 23-man roster, that could leave room for Kulich or Lukas Rousek to make the team. But the Sabres will want Kulich to have a path to third-line minutes, otherwise, it makes more sense for him to play top-line minutes in the AHL. One thing helping Kulich is that outside of Zucker, the Sabres don’t have a proven goal-scorer projected to play on the bottom two lines. Kulich hasn’t shown it at the NHL level, but his scoring potential would be an asset on the third line and second power-play unit. So I’m not writing him off because of the Krebs signing. If he earns a job in training camp, the Sabres still have room to keep him.
### What about the salary cap?
The Sabres are still comfortably below the salary cap with just under $7 million in cap space after this signing. That accounts for most of the savings from the Jeff Skinner buyout. That leaves Adams with ample space to swing a pre-season or in-season trade, provided he’s willing to spend to the cap ceiling. Buffalo could have played hardball with Krebs and waited for him to sign his qualifying offer, but for a slightly higher cost, the team now has two more seasons to evaluate Krebs and where he fits long-term.
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### Where does Krebs fit?
The Sabres spent this summer adding to the bottom six of their forward depth chart. Adams traded for Ryan McLeod, who projects as a third-line center, and Beck Malenstyn, a strong fourth-line winger. He also signed Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Lafferty and Aube-Kubel could be fourth-liners, too. Lafferty has a lot of experience at center. And all of those players mentioned have speed, something that will be a focus under new coach Lindy Ruff. There’s no question that Krebs’ attitude and spirit will make him a player Ruff likes. But is Krebs fast enough to fit the identity Buffalo is trying to play with this season?
If Krebs keeps his role as the fourth-line center, that would mean one of Aube-Kubel, Malenstyn, Lafferty or Greenway is not in the lineup. Salary won’t dictate playing time, but among forwards who aren’t on an entry-level contract, only Malenstyn has a lower cap hit than Krebs. So the $1.45 million for two years is a strong commitment relative to his production, but it doesn’t guarantee Krebs a role, especially with a coach like Ruff who is promising to demand accountability. Krebs will be competing for his job throughout the season because of the depth Buffalo has. We’ll dive deeper into a projected depth chart when we get a chance to watch a few practices and see how things come together. For now, here are a few guesses as to what the lineup could look like with and without Krebs.
### What does this mean for Kulich?
The Sabres are fresh off watching Jiří Kulich dominate the rookie tournament with five goals and an assist in three games. He’s noticeably stronger and has increased his competitiveness in puck battles in all three zones. He looks closer than ever to making an impact in the NHL. While his immediate NHL future is at wing, Krebs’ signing does still cloud the picture in the bottom six. This contract would indicate Krebs won’t be getting waived. The Sabres have 13 forwards under contract, all of whom are a safe bet to be on the team unless there’s a trade. If the Sabres keep 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies on their 23-man roster, that could leave room for Kulich or Lukas Rousek to make the team. But the Sabres will want Kulich to have a path to third-line minutes, otherwise, it makes more sense for him to play top-line minutes in the AHL. One thing helping Kulich is that outside of Zucker, the Sabres don’t have a proven goal-scorer projected to play on the bottom two lines. Kulich hasn’t shown it at the NHL level, but his scoring potential would be an asset on the third line and second power-play unit. So I’m not writing him off because of the Krebs signing. If he earns a job in training camp, the Sabres still have room to keep him.
### What about the salary cap?
The Sabres are still comfortably below the salary cap with just under $7 million in cap space after this signing. That accounts for most of the savings from the Jeff Skinner buyout. That leaves Adams with ample space to swing a pre-season or in-season trade, provided he’s willing to spend to the cap ceiling. Buffalo could have played hardball with Krebs and waited for him to sign his qualifying offer, but for a slightly higher cost, the team now has two more seasons to evaluate Krebs and where he fits long-term.
How about 2nd line Krebs who says no