Polin signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Sabres on Wednesday.
Polin had 10 goals and 21 points in 46 regular-season outings with AHL Colorado in 2025-26. He also appeared in four regular-season games with the Avalanche last campaign, recording no points, no shots, 11 hits and three blocks. Polin will compete for an NHL roster spot during training camp, but he's expected to begin 2026-27 in the minors.
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Sabres' Trevor Kuntar: Re-signs with Buffalo
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Kuntar signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Sabres on Wednesday.
Kuntar made his NHL debut with the Sabres on Dec. 11 against Vancouver in 2025-26. However, he spent most of his time in the minors. He recorded 21 goals, 16 assists and 85 PIM across 70 regular-season outings with AHL Rochester. Kuntar could be in the mix to provide depth for the Sabres in 2026-27, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him make the bulk of his appearances in the minors once again.
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Sabres' Conor Sheary: Signs one-year contract
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Sheary signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Sabres on Wednesday.
Sheary had seven goals and 18 points in 62 outings with the Rangers in 2025-26. Buffalo has a pretty deep forward group, which could limit Sheary to fewer games in the upcoming campaign. It wouldn't be shocking if Sheary began the season as a healthy scratch.
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Sabres' Dennis Gilbert: Gets one-way contract
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Gilbert signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Sabres on Wednesday, per Darren Dreger of TSN.
Gilbert managed to secure a one-way deal, which might indicate that Buffalo plans to start 2026-27 with him on the NHL roster. However, the 29-year-old is likely to serve as the seventh defenseman and spend most games as a healthy scratch if he does make the team. Gilbert had an assist in eight regular-season outings with Ottawa in 2025-26. He also recorded 13 assists in 37 AHL regular-season appearances between Belleville and Lehigh Valley last campaign.
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Sabres' Olen Zellweger: Inks three-year contract
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Zellweger signed a three-year, $9.3 million contract with the Sabres on Wednesday, per PuckPedia.
Zellweger was a restricted free agent before signing this deal. Buffalo acquired him from Anaheim on Friday. He had seven goals, 22 points, 34 PIM, 33 hits and 85 blocks in 76 regular-season outings with the Ducks in 2025-26. The 22-year-old is likely to begin next season on Buffalo's third pairing, but he has untapped upside and could grow into a bigger role over the length of this new contract.
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Sabres' Beck Malenstyn: Re-signs with club
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Malenstyn agreed to terms on a six-year, $17.5 million contract with Buffalo on Monday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Malenstyn registered a career-high seven goals in 2025-26, but was limited to just 14 points in 81 regular-season games, failing to reach the 20-point threshold for the second straight year. While the Sabres would certainly take some offensive contributions from the 28-year-old forward, his real value for the team and fantasy managers is his physicality, having racked up 282 hits last year, fifth-most in the NHL.
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Sabres' Olivers Murnieks: Latvian import joins Sabres
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Murnieks was the 124th overall pick by Buffalo in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
A native of Latvia, Murnieks shifted to the QMJHL this past season after spending the prior year with Sioux City of the USHL. His scoring numbers were concerning (seven goals, 20 points in 31 regular-season outings), but Murnieks' game isn't about point production. He's an old-school grinder. The type of guy who is going to remain in the middle while throwing the body around and winning battles all over the ice. The good news from an offensive standpoint is that Murnieks seems to realize his limitations and doesn't try to do too much. He also won't turn 18 years old until the very end of July, so there's a non-zero chance some improvements may be forthcoming. All in all, this is a safe, low upside play for Buffalo. Murnieks is expected to spend one more season in the CHL before joining Boston College for the 2027-28 campaign.
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Sabres' Ilia Morozov: Big beast drafted 20th overall
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Morozov was the 20th overall pick by Buffalo in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Morozov is a big-bodied center who plays a physical, 200-foot game. He skates well for a big man, and his skills and vision are solid. He looks like a pro. There are mixed opinions on Morozov's hockey IQ, and he needs work to improve his skill at the dot to have a long career as a third- or fourth-line pivot in the NHL. But even if he switches to wing, Morozov plays the kind of bedrock game that coaches love in the postseason. Put simply, he's hard to play against. That's the kind of guy who will be better on the ice than in the fantasy arena.
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Sabres' Daxon Rudolph: Fourth pick at NHL Entry Draft
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Rudolph was the fourth overall pick by Buffalo in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Rudolph opened a lot of eyes in his draft season. He finished third in the WHL in points from the blue line (73), and then he went feral in the postseason, finishing tied for the league lead in points (27). Rudolph's intelligence and hockey sense are his best assets, with his shot not far behind. He has good size, skates well and has excellent vision. And his hands are soft -- he finds forwards easily on breakouts and his catch-and-release is NHL level already. So, that means he'll be a goal threat at the next level. Rudolph doesn't project to carry his offensive exploits -- at least at the level we saw in 2025-26 -- into the NHL. But he will be a modern, puck-moving, two-way defender who will be a top-four backbone and can be a power-play guy for the Sabres. Rudolph models his own game around Charlie McAvoy. There's fantasy value in that kind of solid play if he can find that in the NHL.
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Sabres' Olen Zellweger: Dealt Friday
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Zellweger was traded to Buffalo from Anaheim on Friday in exchange for Anton Wahlberg and the No. 45 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Zellweger had seven goals, 22 points, 34 PIM, 37 hits and 85 blocks in 76 regular-season appearances with Anaheim in 2025-26. He's set to become a restricted free agent Wednesday, so the Sabres will need to work out a contract with him. Zellweger will probably start next season as part of the Sabres' third pairing, but the 22-year-old has the potential to develop into a top-four blueliner.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Inks long-term extension
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Benson signed a seven-year, $52.5 million contract extension with the Sabres on Wednesday.
This deal keeps Benson with the Sabres as part of the team's core while on an affordable deal. He had 13 goals and 43 points over 65 regular-season outings in 2025-26. At just 21 years old, he still has time to grow on offense, though expectations will be higher moving forward with his new contract. Expect Benson to fill a top-six role regularly in 2026-27.
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Sabres' David Kampf: Acquired in trade
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Kampf and a 2027 third-round pick were acquired by the Sabres from the Capitals on Wednesday in exchange for Alex Tuch.
The Sabres will have a brief exclusive negotiating window with Kampf if they so desire. He is eligible for unrestricted free agency at the beginning of July. The 31-year-old had six points in 40 outings between the Canucks and Capitals in 2025-26. Kampf projects as a bottom-six forward at best, regardless of whether he signs with Buffalo or heads elsewhere.
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Sabres' Louis Crevier: Traded to Buffalo in Byram deal
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Crevier was traded Tuesday, alongside the fourth and 45th overall picks in 2026, to the Sabres from the Blackhawks in exchange for Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway, freelance insider Frank Seravalli reports.
Crevier will be a defensive fixture for the Sabres, giving them added size and shutdown skills on the right side of the blue line. In 2025-26, he logged seven goals, 18 assists, 124 hits, 95 blocked shots, 114 shots on net and 63 PIM over 78 appearances in his first full-time campaign at the NHL level. The 25-year-old could find a little more offense with his new team, which is further along in the competitive cycle, especially if he holds onto a top-four role. Crevier's all-around production makes him a potential deep-league target in fantasy for 2026-27.
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Sabres' Jake Richard: Signs entry-level deal
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Richard signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Sabres on Thursday.
Richard completed his junior year of college in 2025-26, earning 10 goals and 27 points over 38 games. In his three years at the University of Connecticut, he racked up 32 goals and 88 points over 108 appearances. Richard was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and will likely begin his professional career with AHL Rochester.
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Sabres' Justin Danforth: Nearly healthy after long absence
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Danforth (kneecap) was nearly healthy at the end of the Sabres' playoff run, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports Wednesday.
Danforth underwent surgery to repair a broken kneecap sustained in October. A second procedure was required to clean up loose cartilage, which explains why he didn't return after the Olympic break as initially expected. Danforth should be good to go for training camp. He's still under contract through the 2026-27 campaign, so he'll be in the mix for a bottom-six role with the Sabres.
Kulich (ear) said Tuesday that he had his blood clot removed and will be able to play hockey again, per Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.
Kulich appeared in just 12 regular-season games in 2025-26, accounting for three goals, five points, 20 shots and a minus-4 rating. While an exact timeline for his recovery is not known, he should be ready for the start of next season. Kulich told reporters Tuesday during the Sabres' postseason media availability that he feels good now, has been doing a lot of skating and shooting and is looking forward to next season. The 22-year-old will be a restricted free agent after the 2026-27 campaign.
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Sabres' Jordan Greenway: Deflects in goal
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Greenway scored a goal on two shots and added three hits in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 7.
Greenway's body deflected a Mattias Samuelsson shot to get the Sabres on the board at 13:19 of the second period. In 13 playoff outings, Greenway had three points, seven shots on net, 30 hits and six PIM. While the production wasn't much, the fact that he was healthy enough to play the whole time was a big positive. He's under contract with the Sabres for 2026-27, so he should be in the mix for a bottom-six role again, but he's also missed at least 15 games in each of the last five years.
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Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin: Tallies in Game 7 loss
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Dahlin scored a goal on five shots and blocked two shots in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 7.
Dahlin's third-period tally forced overtime, but he didn't have one more heroic moment in him. The defenseman ended the postseason on a five-game point streak, in which he earned three goals and seven assists. Overall, he produced four goals, 10 helpers, 46 shots on net, 15 hits, 15 blocked shots, 20 PIM and a plus-4 rating over 13 appearances in his first taste of postseason action. Dahlin is poised to be a pillar of the Sabres' defense for years to come and makes for a good pick to lead a fantasy blue line in drafts this fall.
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