Jack Quinn in 2026, what will he be?

[LGR4GM]

I said a long time ago that I thought Quinn was better than Peterka and then for about 2 years that looked like total BS. Quinn ruptured his Achilles during offseason training and then spent quite a bit of time just getting back to the player we thought he could be. 

The real question is how good or bad is he and will he be this upcoming season? I was surprised to see that Quinn didn't get that many sheltered zone starts with only 59.1% of them coming in the offensive zone. His xgf split was only -0.7 which is way better than the -12.8 from the previous year. He also got 20g for the first time which is actually very interesting. His career shooting% is 11.8 but last year he only shot 10.5 which means he left almost 3 entire goals on the table! wooo but in all seriousness he took more shots than he ever had last year and still undershot his career % meaning if he can up his shot total a little bit and shoot a little better, 25g is well within his wheelhouse. His TOI was about the same with him averaging about 1 extra shift a game and more in line with his 22yr old season. His CF% was almost the exact same as his last 3 years as well. 

So the shot% was down a bit, the shot total was up, the rest of the stats are about the same with the biggest jump in his quality of shots for and against. He went way up in the xGF department and edged up a bit in the xGA department. Overall he was a high event guy who gave as good as he got. Basically he was middle of the road in terms of chances. 

My question then becomes, does Quinn have another level of player? Is he a middle six, 25g, 50ish point winger that doesn't really hurt you while on the ice and can score some nice goals or is there more to give. I don't really have an answer, just curious if we think he is roughly want he will be or is there more there. 

[#freejame]

Quinn grew a lot as a player in 2026. I think he might be the player who benefitted the most from the playoffs. I’m not sure he becomes a 60pt player but I expect a better and more responsible player next season

[SABRES 0311]

He better be a 20+ goal scorer. We've seen flashes of brilliance with how he takes the puck to the middle. I think he also has good offensive IQ and knows how to get open open for quality scoring chances. I also noticed he doesn't seem timid like throwing the puck away just because he is about to take a hit. I'd like to see him as the 2RW and be more assertive on the power play.

[That Aud Smell]

the last time i weighed in on where my sweet prince's game was headed, he sh1t the proverbial bucket.

6 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

a middle six, 25g, 50ish point winger that doesn't really hurt you while on the ice and can score some nice goals or is there more to give. 

that said, there is nothing wrong with the former here. i'll take it!

[JohnC]

If Quinn gets more PP minutes he will be a 30 goal scorer for us. I thought that playing with Zucker was a smart move because he is a tough veteran who knows how to mentor players. The problem with Quinn last year is that he had plenty of opportunities to score but flubbed on the shot. He needs to work on his accuracy be able to capitalize on those quality chances.  

What I saw last year is Quinn put in a lot more effort on his defensive game and playing a more responsible game. And now that Tuch is gone I see his role and value increase.He's one of my no touch players. 

[TageMVP]

Traded 

[dudacek]

Did people listen to Jarmo’s weekend spot with Friedman?

Spoke very highly of Quinn’s game, which he described last year as snakebit.

Said he says he has 30 or even 40 goals in him.

I was very surprised to hear him publicly put that kind of expectation on Quinn’s shoulders.

Motivating the player? Distracting the fan base from the Tuch loss? Or just being honest?

Ive always been one of Quinn’s biggest supporters around here but I think odds are good he’s probably what he was this year.

Still a big part of me that is terrified of trading him.

Edited June 29 by dudacek

[TageMVP]

Just now, dudacek said:

Did people listen to Jarmo’s weekend spot with Friedman?

Spoke very highly of his game, which he described last year as snakebit.

Said he says he has 30 or even 40 goals in him.

I was very surprised to hear him put that kind of expectation on Quinn’s shoulders.

Motivating the player? Distracting the fan base from the Tuch loss? Or just being honest?

Ive always been one of Quinn’s biggest supporters around here but I think odds are good he’s probably what he was this year.

Still a big part of me that is terrified of trading him.

Lol @ bolded 

He's the perfect trade candidate hence why he comes up in theoretical trades all the time

Jarmo is just gassing him up for potential suitors 

Bye bye Quinn thanks for being part of the package to acquire Robert Thomas buddy 

 

[msw2112]

Quinn played better as the season went on and he found his scoring touch later in the season.  He also played well in the playoffs including in ways that had not been a part of his game in the past.  He was better defensively, and showed more grit and physicality.  He's not quite a finished product at 24, although he's getting closer to his ceiling.  I see him as a middle-6 winger who, by the time he reaches his full potential, wouldn't be terribly out of place if he got some occasional time as a first line winger.  He's not going to be a superstar, but he can be a quality scoring winger.  I see his potential and why the Sabres would want to keep him.  That said, you have to give to get, so if he's traded to acquire other needed talent, I can live with that too.  I'd want the team to part with Quinn before parting with the likes of Östlund or Helenius, both of whom I'm extremely high on.  I'm really not sure where to evaluate Kulich in all of this, as his condition had him miss the entire resurgence of the team and the playoff run.  I believe that Kulich has higher upside than Quinn, but haven't seen enough to be definitive about it.

[Flashsabre]

The second half of the season he came on and He was starting to cook at the end of the Montreal series. Put him with a playmaker like Östlund and if he can stay healthy I see 25+ goals for him

[GASabresIUFAN]

If Quinn busts out with 35 goals, will the Sabres be able to afford to keep him?

[LGR4GM]

9 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

If Quinn busts out with 35 goals, will the Sabres be able to afford to keep him?

yea, why?

[dudacek]

9 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

If Quinn busts out with 35 goals, will the Sabres be able to afford to keep him?

Based on current contracts and expected cap, yes, absolutely 

[mjd1001]

Quinn played pretty well against Boston and then was a big part of his entire line playing well vs Montreal.  He had a good playoff series.

His regular season was also better this year than the year before.

I'm still wanting more out of him though. He needs to take another step up in his overall game.  I do like the line he is on most of the time. Zucker, Quinn and McLeod together is a 3rd line I can deal with pretty easily.

As far as 35 goals, I don't know about that. He doesn't generate his own shot well enough.   In this case it CAN come down to simple math. He has yet to get 200 shots on goal in a given year, and he shoots 11%-12%.  I'd need him to get up to about 15% shooting AND get 240+ shots.

Again, no guarantee he can shoot 15% over a whole year AND Get 240+ shots, he needs someone else to set him up.  Now, put him 100% of the time on the first PP unit, give him 1-2 more minutes per game overall, AND give him a full time center that is a playmaker and they get to know each other well, and MAYBE (but not likely).

The only way I see that though is if you get Norris to be 100% healthy and play 75+ games, and him and Quinn are linemates for the entire season.  But Linday hardly played them together, and the few minutes they WERE together (probalby 30-40 minutes at most), it didn't work well.

If we want Quinn to be a 30+ goal scorer, someone has to tell me how he is going to get enough shots (and quality shots). I don't see him doing it himself.

Edited June 29 by mjd1001

[triumph_communes]

He is due for a breakout. He had every opportunity to finish and that’s credit to being in the right places.  But he was comically unable to score this past post season

 

im not ready to give up but he’s the most tradeable asset too.  Just depends on the deal 

[...]

As @#freejame said, Quinn may be the player who benefitted the most from the playoffs. We already knew Benson had that game in him, and he knew it, too. Quinn, OTOH, showed himself he has some legit dog in him. To me, Quinn wore the playoff experience all over his face, like he finally drank the blood of his freshly killed quarry.

With his injury long behind and the playoff experience, if Quinn is going to find his next gear it should be noticeable the first quarter of the next season.

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Did people listen to Jarmo’s weekend spot with Friedman?

Spoke very highly of Quinn’s game, which he described last year as snakebit.

Said he says he has 30 or even 40 goals in him.

I was very surprised to hear him publicly put that kind of expectation on Quinn’s shoulders.

Motivating the player? Distracting the fan base from the Tuch loss? Or just being honest?

Ive always been one of Quinn’s biggest supporters around here but I think odds are good he’s probably what he was this year.

Still a big part of me that is terrified of trading him.

@... Curious what part of this you’re disagreeing with

[That Aud Smell]

2 minutes ago, ... said:

Quinn, OTOH, showed himself he has some legit dog in him. To me, Quinn wore the playoff experience all over his face, like he finally drank the blood of his freshly killed quarry.

well put. i noticed this dynamic as well.

[GASabresIUFAN]

42 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

yea, why?

 

41 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Based on current contracts and expected cap, yes, absolutely 

I wouldn’t be so sure. The only major contract coming of the books is Zucker and $4 mill of Skinner, but Quinn, Östlund and Kulich are RFAs.  We’ll also need to re-sign or acquire 2-3 D and at least one goalie.   It’s not a simple yes, especially if Östlund and Kulich breakout as well.

Edited June 29 by GASabresIUFAN

[...]

7 minutes ago, dudacek said:

@... Curious what part of this you’re disagreeing with

This:  but I think odds are good he’s probably what he was this year.

With respect, of course.

[dudacek]

1 minute ago, ... said:

This:  but I think odds are good he’s probably what he was this year.

With respect, of course.

My head says that’s not what his career to date suggests.

My heart agrees with you.

[Eleven]

A Winnipeg Jet.

[LGR4GM]

11 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

 

I wouldn’t be so sure. The only major contract coming of the books is Zucker and $4 mill of Skinner, but Quinn, Östlund and Kulich are RFAs.  We’ll also need to re-sign or acquire 2-3 D and at least one goalie.   It’s not a simple yes, especially if Östlund and Kulich breakout as well.

It is pretty simple. I am not worried about it at all. You just listed 8 million in cap space not including the 5million in the cap going up. I just found 13million on top of the 10 million they have right now. That doesn't count the 2-5million in smaller guys going away too. It just isn't an issue. 

[dudacek]

7 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

 

I wouldn’t be so sure. The only major contract coming of the books is Zucker and $4 mill of Skinner, but Quinn, Östlund and Kulich are RFAs.  We’ll also need to re-sign or acquire 2-3 D and at least one goalie.   It’s not a simple yes, especially if Östlund and Kulich breakout as well.

They have a projected $43M on the books to spend and Quinn their highest-profile RFA. He and Crevier will be the only ones with arbitration rights.

The Sabres will have plenty of space to sign Quinn, even if he scores 50.

[Cheektorado]