The 23-year-old center had 17 points in the final year of his entry-level contract
The Buffalo Sabres will open their 2024-25 training camp on Wednesday, but the contract situation between the club and restricted free agent center Peyton Krebs remains at an impasse.
Krebs was considered a key part of the package acquired by GM Kevyn Adams in the Jack Eichel deal with Vegas in November 2021, but through three years, the 23-year-old has struggled to define his role in the NHL. For most of last season, Krebs played an energy/irritant role on the fourth line with veteran wingers like Eric Robinson and Zemgus Girgensons, which in part contributed to his poor offensive totals (4 goals, 13 assists) in 80 games, but when moved higher in the lineup late in the season, he managed only five points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 20 games.
The Sabres made a number of additions to address the depth of their roster over the summer, trading for centers Beck Malenstyn and Ryan McLeod, and adding wingers Sam Lafferty, Jason Zucker, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel in free agency, but the contract status of Krebs appears to have been a back-burner issue that GM Kevyn Adams is only prepared to address less than two days before camp opens.
“We’ll see how the next couple of days go and I’d like to give it a few more days before I address it,” Adams said on WGR 550 on Saturday. “These things take time sometimes and it’s a process but, we’ll see where we are in 48 hours.”
With youngsters such as Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen, and 2024 first-rounder Konsta Helenius potentially pushing for spots on the Sabres roster, and with the presence of McLeod, Malenstyn, and Lafferty as center options, Krebs may be a spare part under new head coach Lindy Ruff this season. He could secure a contract by accepting the qualifying offer he received in June, but if the standoff continues into camp. a trade remains a possibility.
