A dream jarred Peyton Krebs awake in his Ottawa hotel room before dawn Thursday. The odd occurrence on the morning of a game day caused Krebs to take a quick glance at his cellphone.
There were multiple missed calls from his general manager with the Vegas Golden Knights, Kelly McCrimmon.
“My heart started pounding, for sure,” Krebs recalled.
Krebs dialed McCrimmon’s number and received the news moments later. Krebs, a 20-year-old center, was traded along with his Golden Knights teammate, Alex Tuch, and draft picks to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for injured star center Jack Eichel.
Read the full story from News Sports Reporter Lance Lysowski
The emotions were “mixed,” Krebs said Friday. It was the Golden Knights who drafted Krebs with the 17th pick in the 2019 draft despite the fact he was facing a long recovery from a torn Achilles. Vegas stuck with Krebs through the arduous physical rehab and the team's top players even mentored him.
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Krebs lived with Mark Stone during his recovery, stayed in the home of Ryan Reaves last spring and trained alongside Max Pacioretty all summer. This was supposed to be Krebs’ turn to carve out a full-time role on the Vegas Strip’s Cup-contending main attraction.
The trade to Buffalo came with a different assignment. Krebs was immediately sent to the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester. He would have to re-establish himself with a new general manager, coach and organization. But this was also an opportunity to join forces with his former teammates at the IIHF World Junior Championship, Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, to try to turn the Sabres into a contender.
“I think for me it was just, ‘We’re really excited to have you,’ ” Krebs said when describing his first conversation with General Manager Kevyn Adams. “ ‘Obviously, we want to have you as part of our future along with Tuchy.’ I think when a GM’s saying that, it’s pretty exciting. His message to me was just, ‘We’ve got a long ways to go. This trade isn’t going to dictate our right now but in the future, I think it’s going to be really exciting.’ Just his enthusiasm and, obviously it’s a tougher day but to get that call from him was really uplifting and it was really nice of him, for sure.”
The phone call with McCrimmon began a chaotic day for Krebs. He took a car service from Ottawa to Rochester and joined the Amerks for their morning skate Friday ahead of a game against Toronto. Krebs drew into the lineup at center and spent the bulk of the on-ice practice session with veteran winger Michael Mersch.
There were quick chats with Quinn and the basic introductions to new teammates. The whirlwind wasn’t all unexpected, though. Krebs heard the rumors for weeks. As the Golden Knights’ top prospect, he was attached to every report about a potential Eichel trade to Vegas. Even Cozens sent Krebs some text messages about the potential reunion in Buffalo.
Krebs wants to play in the National Hockey League. He appeared in nine games for Vegas this season, recording zero points while averaging 13:44 of ice time. His entire summer was dedicated to physically preparing for the next step. But there are benefits to joining the Amerks before obtaining a role with the Sabres.
Krebs will play in every situation and coach Seth Appert used seven defensemen Friday as a way to get his newest forward more ice time. There’s also no pressure to replace a forward with Eichel’s track record, including five consecutive seasons of 24-plus goals. Krebs excelled with Vegas’ AHL affiliate, totaling 10 points in seven games.
“I think, as much as I thought I wouldn’t be, I am a little nervous, so I think getting those nerves out, new team, new organization, definitely a little different,” said Krebs. “You want to perform well, whether it’s in Buffalo or here. You want to have a good first impression just to get a little comfortable, get to know some of these guys, get those nerves out. ... I think that’s what Kevyn’s trying to do, just allow me to settle in and make the most of my time.”
