Krebs, 23, was Buffalo’s last unsigned player this summer.
He’ll be at training camp Wednesday if his contract gets approved. His new deal keeps him with the Sabres until 2025-26 and costs $1.45M against the salary cap.
Drafted 17th overall by the Golden Knights in 2019, Krebs played only 13 NHL games with Vegas before being traded to Buffalo in November 2021 as part of the Jack Eichel trade. Initially, he fit right in as a middle-six winger, scoring 22 points (7 goals, 15 assists) in 48 games and averaging nearly 15 minutes per game. His points-per-game ratio ranked ninth on the team.
Challenges and Position Changes:
After his strong start, Buffalo moved Krebs to center for two seasons. This change led to a drop in his offense. Last season was tough; he scored just four goals and had only 13 assists over 80 games. With an average of just over twelve minutes per game, it was his lowest usage since joining the Sabres. He also struggled with faceoffs, winning only about 44% of them .
Despite these challenges, Krebs showed positive shot attempt impacts at even strength after moving to center. His expected goals share of nearly 48% is decent for a rebuilding team like Buffalo.
Fans might feel that Krebs has potential but needs more consistency.
Team Dynamics and Future Prospects:
Buffalo made several free-agent signings and trades this summer to improve their bottom-six forwards group. At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be an obvious spot for Krebs in the lineup. Without a strong offensive record, breaking into the top nine will be hard on a team eager to end its long playoff drought.
To secure a spot on the fourth line, he’ll need to outperform Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Sam Lafferty or Beck Malenstyn—Buffalo’s projected fourth line players. The easiest target might be Lafferty who is also weak in faceoffs but pushing him out will still be tough due to Lafferty’s recent two-year $4M contract signed by GM Kevyn Adams.
After signing Krebs’ deal, Buffalo has $7M left in cap space with a full roster of forwards, defensemen and goalies according to PuckPedia data .
What do you think about Krebs’ chances?
