23-year-old center had 17 points in the final year of his entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres checked off many items on their summer to-do list, adding depth centers Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn via the trade market and signing free agents Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Jason Zucker, and Sam Lafferty, but with free agency slowing of a crawl and most of the league’s arbitration cases resulting in new deals, the status of Peyton Krebs remains unresolved.

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 took care of most of their summer business late last month, signing Malenstyn to a two-year, $2.7 million contract extension, and locking up goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on a five-year deal. Krebs’s current status leaves him with limited options. He could secure a contract for next season by accepting the qualifying offer of $874,125, but the presence of McLeod, Malenstyn, and Lafferty as center options could leave him as an extra forward under new head coach Lindy Ruff.

Rumors going back to before the trade deadline have linked Krebs to the Philadelphia Flyers, who continue to have a need for help up the middle. With the Sabres still in need for a goal scorer to replace Jeff Skinner and Philadelphia’s recent signing of Travis Konecny, the Flyers shopping winger Joel Farabee to open up cap space could be a possibility.