How will these three young players perform and rank amongst themselves next season? And which one of them will be on the highest line?

[dudacek]

Wasn’t Kulich cleared to resume training at locker room cleanout?

And wasn’t he able to do some non-contact skating and fitness even while he was out?

I’m no medical expert, but I’m not sure why a full summer of training and a month of camp can’t have him on par with his teammates come Oct. 1.

I mean I get the caution, but Im not used to seeing “start in the minors” posts for older players who’ve missed a year, and I’m not clear why Kulich should be any different.

The Sabres seem to think he’ll be ready 🤷

Edited July 4 by dudacek

[sabresfan714]

I just want to see what all 3 guys got, with the Sabres in the NHL.

[#freejame]

52 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Wasn’t Kulich cleared to resume training at locker room cleanout?

And wasn’t he able to do some non-contact skating and fitness even while he was out?

I’m no medical expert, but I’m not sure why a full summer of training and a month of camp can’t have him on par with his teammates come Oct. 1.

I mean I get the caution, but Im not used to seeing “start in the minors” posts for older players who’ve missed a year, and I’m not clear why Kulich should be any different.

The Sabres seem to think he’ll be ready 🤷

Thanks, saved me a lot of typing. On top of that, skating isn’t how you increase your stamina for more skating. That comes from off-ice training. Long distances at low speed is what’s going to be most impactful. 

[_Q_]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Wasn’t Kulich cleared to resume training at locker room cleanout?

And wasn’t he able to do some non-contact skating and fitness even while he was out?

I’m no medical expert, but I’m not sure why a full summer of training and a month of camp can’t have him on par with his teammates come Oct. 1.

I mean I get the caution, but Im not used to seeing “start in the minors” posts for older players who’ve missed a year, and I’m not clear why Kulich should be any different.

The Sabres seem to think he’ll be ready 🤷

It was my impression that he was allowed to train the entire time.  Just no contact because of blood thinners.

[BullBuchanan]

Helenius will have the most goals if he plays every game he's not injured. I think he hits 25G 45P.

If Östlund centers Benson and Doan, 20G/60P

Kulich is a wild card depending on where he plays, but I'm thinking 15G, 40P

[French Collection]

If each of these 3 score 15 goals then Tuch’s production plus what they scored last year is covered. The challenge is finding ice time for all 3 where they are in a position to score. They aren’t cut out to be 4th liners. 
 

Östlund is the best play maker, has the best all around game and IQ. Could be Aho 2.0

Kulich has the best shot and is the most solidly built player of the three.

Helenius has the best wheels and has some dog in him. I also believe in his upside.

It will take time for any of them to develop the experience to be reliable 200 foot centres. I would like to see a top 9 forward brought in to absorb some tough assignments and mentor them.

[Big Guava]

On 6/28/2026 at 9:28 PM, LGR4GM said:

Helenius has the most upside. Idk what to expect from Kulich. Östlund will have the best year on the stat sheet. 

Kulich was heading towards a 25-30 goal season last year of he stayed healthy.

Question is how he comes back after a year off the ice.

[JohnC]

13 hours ago, Big Guava said:

Kulich was heading towards a 25-30 goal season last year of he stayed healthy.

Question is how he comes back after a year off the ice.

As @dudacek pointed out, Kulich was skating and was involved in non-contact activity during the season last year. So I don't think that he will have any problems from a conditioning standpoint. 

I agree with those who feel that none of these three players are suitable for fourth line play. But that doesn't mean that it should be hard to find roles for these players along the top three lines. Kulich might be the most suited to play on the wing while the other two players who are better in the center can still play on the wings if necessary. 

I like all three of these players. It's going to be interesting to see how quickly they can establish themselves as mainstay players and the pecking order among each other.