The hockey world was put into a state of shock Thursday morning upon learning Jack Eichel had been traded to Vegas. While the trade netted a number of assets for Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams, the most important piece to the deal was getting Peyton Krebs.
This young man’s story is truly fascinating. Original blush projects Krebs as a 2C, loaded with character and someone who will wear a letter for Buffalo somewhere down the road. Heck, he was named captain of the Kootenay Ice at 17 and didn’t relinquish the honour until he graduated from the WHL.
To truly understand what Buffalo is getting in Krebs it’s important to look back, not just at the player, but the talented family he’s a part of. At a young age, Peyton was destined for greatness. He was the first player selected in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, and in his rookie season (2017-18), managed to put up 17 goals for 54 points in 67 games on a Kootenay team that finished 19th and failed to make the playoffs in the 22-team loop. Krebs was the top scoring WHL rookie that season.
In the meantime, he was always identified as a mainstay in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, and at every turn in the program he’s produced at point-per-game levels. As a silver medalist for Team Canada Red in the 2017 U17, Krebs put up six points in five games. That summer, he won gold at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup with five points in five games. In April of his NHL draft year, he captained Canada at the world U18s and had a 10-point performance in seven games.
Through coaching changes and the off-ice distraction of Kootenay’s relocation to Winnipeg, Krebs kept trying to lead a rebuild of that franchise while continuing to excel. He yielded typical point per game numbers in Kootenay’s last season (also Krebs’ draft year), but finished the season with a minus-50 rating. Definitely not something you want on your resume going into the draft. By that time, most scouts had a sense for what he would be and first-round projections were legit.
The NHL Combine is a key piece for teams when it comes to the draft. Not only do you get physical data on the player, but equally if not more importantly, GMs and scouts get an opportunity to meet face-to-face with players. Shortly before the draft, Krebs suffered a ruptured Achilles, and his draft status with thrown into question. Despite the injury, I still projected Krebs as a top 10 in my 2019 Mock Draft.
At the same time, Peyton’s older brother Dakota was in the midst of his WHL career, while younger brother Dru was about to embark on the same path in Medicine Hat. Oh ya, don’t forget about sister Madison, a budding country star. Talent runs amok in the Krebs family, as evidenced in this feature from a Rogers Hometown Hockey.
When the draft took place, Krebs was still on crutches and facing a long recovery. As a result of the uncertainty surrounding the injury and that recovery, Krebs slipped to Vegas at 17th overall. Due to the injury, he was limited to just 38 games in the following season, yet he still managed to put up 60 points, leaning heavily towards the assist side with 48.
With the craziness of the pandemic, Krebs was added to the playoff roster for Vegas in the Edmonton bubble, but didn’t get into a game.
Since the 2020-21 WHL season was delayed due to the pandemic, Krebs’ first action of last season saw him win a silver medal at the 2021 world juniors, with eight points in seven games. He then reported to AHL Henderson and in five games put up five points. Once the WHL season started, he returned to Winnipeg to play for the Ice and did not disappoint, winning the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the league’s top scorer. Krebs put up 43 points in the 24-game schedule and immediately reported back to Vegas, ready to make his NHL debut.
That happened on May 3, 2021. He earned an assist in his first game and just three games later, on May 8, 2021, took a puck to the face and suffered a fractured jaw, forcing him back to the sidelines.
Making the team out of camp this year, Krebs was averaging 13:44 of ice time and didn’t record a point in nine games. The Golden Knights had a brief break in the schedule in October and, wanting Krebs to continue playing, they sent him back to AHL Henderson for a two-game stint, where — guess what — he put up five points.
Thursday, the next chapter in the Krebs story began with a trade to Buffalo, which immediately assigned him to AHL Rochester.
Peyton Krebs is coming to Rochester!!
GET ON THIS NOW
— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) November 4, 2021
He won’t start the next portion of his career with the Sabres, but it won’t be long before Peyton Krebs reunites with fellow WHL grad Dylan Cozens, already a central piece in the latest rebuild plans in Buffalo.
[relatedlinks]
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.