The Buffalo Sabres are stapled to the bottom of the Eastern Conference with the NHL trade deadline approaching. They have the traditional unrestricted free agents they should trade but bigger moves could be on the horizon. But general manager Kevyn Adams wants to bring NHL-caliber players to the Sabres at this deadline. TSN’s Darren Dreger says that could lead to a quiet deadline in Buffalo.
“The Sabres have received numerous offers, strong offers for futures on a myriad of Buf players potentially in play,” Dreger reported. “The Sabres don’t need draft picks or prospects…they need legit roster players. Adams remains open to big moves, but it could be a quiet deadline in Buf.”
Adams has been the general manager in Buffalo since 2020. While they did sniff the playoffs in a few of those seasons, they have not broken their 13-year postseason drought. A front-office change could be in the cards if Adams does not get this roster into a better position soon.
But trades take two parties and there are not many teams who would take a Sabres player and give up NHL-caliber players. This could lead to a creative NHL trade deadline for Adams or a quiet one.
How will the Sabres handle the NHL trade deadline?
The Sabres may not want picks and prospects at the deadline, but they cannot let the deadline pass with any unrestricted free agents on their roster. Jason Zucker, Jordan Greenway, Henri Jokiharju, Jacob Bryson, and Dennis Gilbert should all be on the move. They won’t get NHL-caliber players for them but it is not good asset management to let them walk for free.
The biggest name the Sabres could trade for an NHL player is Dylan Cozens . At 23 years old, he is having a poor season on a long-term contract. A change of scenery could get him back to his 31-goal level and make him a valuable piece for a contender. A team like the Devils, who desperately need a center, could send fellow 23-year-old Dawson Mercer in return.
But even that deal feels like a stretch, as teams value their prospects over other teams’ traditionally. If the Sabres are looking to add NHL-caliber talent, they should take the picks and prospects they get from their UFAs and flip them. Sending a package of picks to a team like the Ducks for Trevor Zegras could help the power out of this rebuild.
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