For years, the Buffalo Sabres bordered on obscurity in the Eastern Conference, and out of nowhere, the team took a gigantic leap forward in 2025/26, shattering one of professional sports’ longest post-season droughts as they came away winners in the Atlantic Division with 109 points on the season.
This off-season, they’ve already made plenty of changes, the biggest of all being the trade of Bowen Byram, a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks that not only netted them the No. 4 overall pick, but helped them avoid a potentially massive overpay. Now, they’re looking to make some upgrades as they look to build on what was a very promising campaign, and while there’s still speculation over a potential blockbuster, the team have handed out a big extension in the meantime.
Peyton Krebs Handed Long-Term Extension
The Buffalo Sabres have made plenty of shock trades during their Stanley Cup Playoffs drought, and the biggest of all was the one to deal away former No. 2 overall pick Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights, netting them several assets in the process. Along with Alex Tuch, the team landed former No. 17 overall pick Peyton Krebs, who at that time was seen as one of the most promising young prospects in the National Hockey League.
However, he’d failed to make the leap when he arrived in Buffalo, and after some disappointing seasons, he seemingly began putting it all together during their run to the post-season in 2025/26. Following the season, the two parties appeared headed for arbitration, but on Monday, they came together to avoid that, with Elliotte Friedman reporting that the 25-year-old has now been signed to a four-year extension.
The contract comes with an average annual value of $4.5 million, and while he’s yet to find his full potential in the NHL, the Sabres are using this deal to bet on the upside that Krebs has shown with the team thus far.
Can Peyton Krebs Live up to his Potential in Buffalo?
Coming to the Sabres with plenty of hype, Krebs didn’t adjust to the NHL game immediately, and over his first four seasons, he combined to score 50 goals and 93 points. However, in 2025/26, Krebs finally started putting it together, as he ended the year with 12 goals and 39 points in 82 games played, also contributing 2 goals and 6 points across their 13 Stanley Cup Playoffs games.
Sure, a 39-point pace isn’t exactly dominant, but given that Krebs usually plays in the Sabres bottom-six, and often times fourth-line, that’s a fairly productive campaign, and if he can even improve on that next year, this will be a good deal to continue giving the team depth for the foreseeable future.
Only time will tell if the Calgary native can ever live up to the expectations in Buffalo and become a good contributor with 40-50 points a season, but with the team hoping to go one or two steps further in the post-season in 2026/27, they’re hoping that the security of a long-term extension can help Krebs take that leap in the next few seasons.
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