Sabres Sign Peyton Krebs to Four-Year, $18M Contract
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Sabres sign Peyton Krebs to a four-year, $18 million contract Monday, locking up a young forward instead of heading to an arbitration hearing they didn’t need to have.
That wasn’t the only move. Buffalo also traded forward Tyler Kopff to the Washington Capitals for prospect Zac Funk, and brought veteran NHL executive John Davidson into the front office as senior adviser. Three moves, one afternoon, all pointing the same direction.
Why the Sabres Sign Peyton Krebs Now
Krebs was eligible for arbitration this summer, which usually means a tense standoff over numbers. Instead, the Sabres sign Peyton Krebs to a deal that settles the question for four years.
The 25-year-old set career highs last season with 12 goals and 27 assists. Modest raw totals, but the trajectory is the story. Buffalo acquired Krebs in the trade that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas, where Krebs had been a first-round pick in 2019. Since arriving in Buffalo, combined with his time in Vegas, he’s put up 42 goals and 91 assists.
Locking in Krebs now, before arbitration and before he hits restricted free agency again, tells you where the Sabres think his value is headed. Up.
[IMAGE: A hockey player in a home jersey skating during warmups — ALT: “A Buffalo Sabres forward on the ice after the team signs Peyton Krebs to a new contract”]
Kopff Heads to Washington
The Kopff trade won’t make many highlight reels. It’s a depth move — Kopff out, prospect Zac Funk in. But depth moves are how a roster stays flexible while the core gets more expensive, and Krebs’ new deal just made the core a little more expensive.
Funk gives Buffalo another young player to develop. Whether he ever cracks the lineup the way Krebs has is a separate question, and one nobody’s answering in July.
A Familiar Face Joins the Front Office
The hire that might matter most long-term isn’t a player at all. John Davidson, 73, joins as senior adviser after 18 seasons running hockey operations in St. Louis, Columbus and New York. He’s not a stranger to this front office, either — he’s the one who hired Sabres GM Jarmo Kekäläinen as GM in Columbus, years before either of them landed in Buffalo.
“I am excited to join the Buffalo Sabres and look forward to the opportunity to help the organization in any way I can,” Davidson said. “The momentum in Buffalo is palpable throughout the entire league, and the passion from Sabres fans makes this opportunity all the more exciting.”
That’s not empty press-release language. Buffalo earned it.
Why the Timing Matters
For 14 straight seasons, the Sabres didn’t make the playoffs — an NHL record for futility, and among the four major North American sports, only the Jets’ drought, dating to 2010, has run longer.
Last season, that streak finally broke. Buffalo reached the Eastern Conference semifinals before Montreal eliminated them in seven games. It wasn’t a Cup run. But after 14 years of nothing, that series felt like a different sport entirely.
Look at the offseason through that lens and the logic clicks into place. The Sabres sign Peyton Krebs, add a veteran executive with a track record of building winners, and quietly restock the prospect pipeline — all in the same week. None of it is flashy on its own. Together, it reads like a front office that isn’t satisfied with one good season and wants to make sure the next one isn’t a fluke.
Buffalo fans have waited a long time to care about July again. Right now, they’ve got every reason to.
