Buffalo, New York – There is a lot of pressure on the Buffalo Sabres to qualify for the playoffs going into the 2024–25 campaign. The squad has a good chance to qualify for the postseason for the first time in over ten years if its best players remain healthy. They will also have the support of a talented group of young forwards, but which of them will make the starting lineup this autumn?
With guys like Zach Benson, J.J. Peterka, Jack Quinn, and emerging star center Dylan Cozens, all of whom are 23 years of age or younger, already incorporated in, the Sabres find themselves in an intriguing situation. However, more players are arriving, and Friday marked the start of the Buffalo Sabres Prospect Challenge. The home team had the most impressive lineup among the rookie teams from the Sabres, Devils, Senators, Bruins, Penguins, and Blue Jackets that participated in the event. Heck, if none of them get it into the NHL lineup, the 2024 first-round pick Konsta Helenius centered Noah Ostlund and Anton Wahlberg might be a terrific scoring combination for AHL Rochester this season.
Center Jiri Kulich, though, is the man I’ll be watching closely. He scored two goals for the Sabres prospect team in their 3-1 tournament victory over Columbus. Kulich has played with Rochester for the previous two seasons, scoring 24 goals in 62 games and then 27 goals in 54 games. At the world juniors in Sweden, he was outstanding for Czechia, leading his side to a thrilling victory over Finland in the bronze-medal match and winning tournament all-star status in the process. Put simply, Kulich gets goals when it matters most. Although he is quite reliable, he understands that he must also be trusted, which is why he dedicated a significant portion of the previous season to honing his 200-yard game.
“I was working on the defensive zone a lot, to be stronger and not just a goal-scorer,” Kulich stated. “I want to be more of a team player than last year.” It meant a lot to the 20-year-old that he was able to wear an alternate captain’s ‘A’ for the Sabres rookie squad. “Thank you,” Kulich murmured. “For me, I have to be a leader and I love to be a leader.”
Given his performance thus far for the Amerks in the AHL, it is difficult to overlook Kulich’s drive in the upcoming days and weeks for a regular position in Buffalo. However, a lot will depend on how some of his fellow young players perform and how many new players Lindy Ruff can fit into his starting lineup alongside veterans like Tage Thompson, Jason Zucker, and Alex Tuch. Talents like Kulich, Helenius, and co. are not appropriate for the fourth line, and it’s definitely better for them to play 20 minutes a night in Rochester instead of eight in Buffalo at that time.
Even if not every draft pick ends up wearing a Buffalo uniform, the Sabres have done a fantastic job assembling talent recently. GM Kevyn Adams traded top prospect Matt Savoie to acquire Ryan McLeod from Edmonton, strengthening his bottom six and PK unit in the process. Although it was a high cost, it didn’t hurt as much because Benson had already participated in an NHL season and Kulich was in the chamber. Fans of the Sabres should be thrilled about Kulich’s likelihood of scoring a lot of goals when he joins the NHL.