The Toronto Maple Leafs of the 1930's were renowned for their "Kid Line", consisting of Charlie Conacher, Harvey "Busher" Jackson, and Joe Primeau. That line helped the Leafs to a Stanley Cup win in 1932 and four more Cup Final appearances over the next six seasons.
The title "Kid Name" would once again be given to the Edmonton Oilers of the 1990's, specifically concentrating on Adam Graves, Joe Murphy, and Martin Gelinas. The same nickname would be given to the Oilers' line combination of Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, and Robert Nilsson; the Oilers deployed that line during the 2007-08 season.
A more modern example of the "Kid Line" title being applied is the 2021-22 New York Rangers; the Filip Chytil - Kaapo Kaako - Alexis Lafrenière line combination would be given that title as all three players were in their first few full seasons in the NHL at that time.
Just four years later, it seems like the Buffalo Sabres are going to be the next team to receive such an honour.
Zach Benson - Noah Östlund - Konsta Helenius
I'm calling it right now: that line is the next "Kid Line." And those are the three names hockey fans should take note of heading into the final thirty games of the season.
Let's start with Zach Benson. The Chilliwack, British Columbia native was first drafted in 2023 by the Buffalo Sabres. In his debut season, Benson tallied thirty points (eleven goals and nineteen assists) in the seventy-one games he played. 2024-25 would see a slight dip in production as Benson recorded just twenty-eight points over the course of seventy-five games played.
So far this season, Zach Benson has scored twenty-three points (six goals and seventeen assists) through just thirty-eight games. At his current rate, Benson is on pace for a fifty-point season.
Of the three players, Noah Östlund was the first to be drafted by the Buffalo Sabres. Despite being drafted in 2022, Östlund continued to develop in Sweden's HockeyAllsvenskan, which is the second tier in Sweden's professional hockey system, before joining the Växjö Lakers in the top flight of Swedish hockey. After spending some time in the AHL with the Rochester Americans, Östlund would finally make his debut at the end of the 2024-25 season, though he would fail to register a point in the eight games he played at the end of the campaign.
That said, Noah Östlund has started the 2025-26 campaign with eighteen points in his first thirty-eight games played; those eighteen points include nine goals and nine assists.
Though he was drafted in 2024, Konsta Helenius would spend his time following the draft with the AHL's Rochester Americans and the Finnish World Juniors team. Despite starting this season with the Rochester Americans, Helenius would receive a call-up on January 15th, eventually making his debut four days later. In just his first three games in the NHL, Helenius has tallied four points, three of which he recorded in a game on January 20th against the Nashville Predators.
With about thirty games left in the NHL regular season and with the Sabres looking to build an advantage on playoff-chasing teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's going to be all hands on deck mentality going forward. The Sabres are tenth-best in scoring and seventh-best on the penalty kill, but they're also at the middle of the pack in terms of the power play and just nineteenth in goals against per game. Yes, the Sabres are playing what arguably is their best hockey in years, but there's nonetheless room for improvement.
That starts with the team's younger players. Established stars like Tage Thompson, who is averaging a point per game, and Rasmus Dahlin are producing on a nightly basis while veterans like Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker are veterans worthy of guiding the Sabres back to the playoffs. But if the Sabres are to also see themselves as a long-term contender, then younger talents like Konsta Helenius need to continue producing at the rate that they are. A lot of Buffalo's current squad hasn't seen the playoffs let alone big playoff-spot-deciding games; should the nerves hit the established stars, the Sabres will need scoring all throughout the lineup if they are to get over the hump.
This stretch run is also going to be a perfect opportunity for Buffalo to achieve both goals. Not only will the likes of Tage Thompson be motivated to put enough production together to end one of sports' longest playoff droughts, but the team's younger stars will have the chance to gain big game experience just by being part of a team that is in a position seldom seen over the last fourteen years.