The Buffalo Sabres spent this past offseason figuring out what to do with contracts for some of their younger standout players.
For Zach Benson, they delivered a big extension. With Bowen Byram, they decided a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks made more sense.
Next up might be Jack Quinn.
Quinn is going to have a contract decision presented to the Sabres after this season, and it’ll be up to Buffalo to decide what to do.
Jack Quinn Contract
Quinn is lined up to be a restricted free agent next summer.
That means as he plays out the 2026-27 season, he’s playing for what could be a hefty payday — whether from the Sabres or via an offer sheet by another team.
“With the way NHL contracts are going, he could become a very rich man,” The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn wrote on Monday. “The 25-year-old winger played 82 games for the first time in 2025-26 and also had his first 20-goal season. He’s off to a strong start to this season and is getting a lot more ice time after Alex Tuch’s departure. If he ends up scoring 30 goals, it’s fair to wonder if he could push $10 million per year on a long-term deal.”
Quinn is part of the young Buffalo forward group that helped the Sabres reach the playoffs for the first time in 15 years last season.
What Quinn does for an encore could be the key to two things — whether Buffalo wants to keep him, and how much it’ll cost to do so.
Jack Quinn Stats
Quinn has been with the Sabres’ organization since they chose him with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. They’ve watched him grow into a key contributor.
So far in 2026-27, he has two goals through five games. That raises his career totals in parts of six seasons with the Sabres to 61 goals and 89 assists (150 points) through 265 games.
Last season, Quinn had career-highs across the board offensively. He put up 20 goals and 31 assists for 51 points.
Quinn isn’t much of a physical player, with minimal totals in blocks and hits, but if he can be a middle-six winger who puts pressure on the defense whenever he’s in the offensive zone, that’s valuable.
Still, the Sabres will have to decide whether that’s worth $10 million per year. If Quinn plays well this season, it won’t just be him putting pressure on opposing defenses, but on his own team’s front office.
The money is rising in a hurry in the NHL. If Quinn does his part, he could benefit greatly from that.
Sabres’ Jack Quinn Pushing for $10 Million Decision