Sabres Miss Out On Interesting Trade Target

This potential Sabres trade target is officially off the board.

The Buffalo Sabres are the NHL's coldest team right now. They have now lost 11 straight games and sport an 11-17-4 record. Due to this, there has been plenty of trade rumors surrounding the team. 

The New York Rangers are not struggling as badly as the Sabres, but they are still not doing well. They have lost three straight games and have won only three of their last 10 contests. With this, they began their roster shakeup by trading former captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks. Now, they have made another notable splash. 

The Rangers have traded Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2025 sixth-round pick. 

Seeing Kakko being traded is not surprising in the slightest, as Darren Dreger reported that the 2019 second-overall pick was put on the trade block last month. He also expressed frustration about recently being scratched. 

The Sabres were among the clubs rumored to be interested in him this past off-season. Given their struggles, he could have been a solid young player for the Sabres to take a chance on, but alas, that can now be forgotten.

When looking at what the Kraken gave up for Kakko, this is a price the Sabres could have matched with relative ease. 

If the Sabres acquired Kakko, he could have been a nice addition to their top nine. Furthermore, he also would have provided them with another option for their penalty kill.

Kakko has appeared in 30 games this season with the Rangers, where he has four goals, 14 points, and a plus-9 rating. It will be interesting to see how he performs after getting this new opportunity with the Kraken from here.