Sabres Need to Make Hard Push to Sign Scoring Help in Free Agency

Boeser is not going to provide a two-way game. Just like Peterka, one won’t pay him to play defense. Sure, one would like some two-way game and some effort, but Boeser is going to get paid to score goals and produce offensively on a nightly basis. Boeser is only 28 years old, too, so giving him a seven-year contract would not be such a bad thing for the Sabres either.

If the Sabres were to sign Boeser, he’d be a great fit right away as a player who not only can score 30 goals but who can also provide 30 assists. Placing Boeser with Thompson on the top line right away would lead to better production from him than the output he provided with Elias Pettersson. That is in no way a shot at Pettersson, because he is a great player; however, I do think Thompson is the better player right now.

My projected contract for Boeser, if the Sabres were to sign him is a seven-year deal, is $8.75 million per season. That might seem like a slight overpay, but right now, the Sabres need to overpay on big free agent if they want to win their services. Plus, with the salary cap expected to rise exponentially over the next few seasons, it won’t be an overpay by year three of the deal.

Nikolaj Ehlers

Nikolaj Ehlers is coming off a 63-point season while playing in 69 games and is my number-two target in free agency, only behind, of course, Mitch Marner. The 29-year-old can help fill the offensive production that left the team when they traded Peterka. Being a 60-70 point player who can provide a little more defense than Boeser and Peterka, he would be as close to a perfect fit as one can get.

Ehlers alongside Jiri Kulich and Thompson would be a scary line for opponents to line up against. Ehlers’ 30-goal, 40-assist potential would be a huge boost in the Sabres’ push for a playoff spot next season. The additions of Kesserling, Doan, and Ehlers would be a successful offseason.

Ehlers would not only would help offensively, but he is also a good fit for head coach Lindy Ruff’s system. The Sabres are trying to bring in surrounding pieces that have a bit more of a two-way or defensive game than in previous seasons. Of course, one would pay Ehlers to produce in the offensive end, and while he might not be the most electrifying two-way player, he can be effective in the defensive end similar to Thompson.

My projected contract for Ehlers would be a six-year deal worth $9.5 million per season. I don’t think this would be an overpay. His market value will hover around $8.5-$9 million, and, as previously states, the Sabres will have to pay a little more to convince players to play in Buffalo than other teams would.

For the Sabres to make the playoffs, acquiring one of Boeser or Ehlers is nearly necessary. Will Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams be aggressive, or will he stay passive and not make any big moves? We will find out soon enough.