This Sabres signing has the potential to be a good one for the club.
The Buffalo Sabres have had a busy offseason. While they have not added a top-six winger to their roster, they have brought in multiple forwards that should benefit their bottom six. One of them is Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and he has the potential to be an excellent addition to the Sabres' roster.
Aube-Kubel, 28, is quietly coming off a solid 2023-24 season with the Washington Capitals. In 60 games, the Alberta native posted six goals, 16 points, and a plus-4 rating. However, he was most impactful when it came to his physicality, posting a career-high 159 games.
With the Sabres looking to break their 13-year playoff drought next season, bringing in a hard-nosed forward like Aube-Kubel to their fourth line looks like a good move on paper. He will surely make things more challenging for the Sabres' opponents, as he is a solid shutdown forward. This and his quick speed should make him an option for the Sabres' penalty kill as well.
While Aubel-Kubel is primarily known for being an energy player, he also has the potential to provide some decent secondary production when playing at his best. For example, just back in 2021-22 with the Colorado Avalanche, he recorded 11 goals and 22 points in 67 games. Thus, he can be a bit more of a scoring threat when playing at his best.
Overall, Aube-Kubel plays a style of game that could make him a pretty notable addition to the Sabres' group this upcoming season. It will be intriguing to see what kind of campaign he puts together from here.
