The Buffalo Sabres have already spent part of the offseason reshaping their roster, but there still looks to be room for one more low-risk swing before camp opens. With the club now missing players like Alex Tuch, Bowen Byram, Jordan Greenway, Logan Stanley, and Luke Schenn, and with additions such as Olen Zellweger, Louis Crevier, and Conor Sheary in the mix, Buffalo could still benefit from bringing in a veteran or two on a professional tryout.
One name that fits that idea is Curtis Lazar.
Lazar spent last season with the Edmonton Oilers as a bottom-six forward, appearing in 45 games and finishing with four goals, two assists, six points, and 95 hits. He is not the kind of player who would be expected to drive offense for the Sabres, but he does bring the kind of traits that can matter on the back end of a roster: a physical edge, penalty-killing ability, and the profile of a dependable fourth-line option.
There is also some upside in the fact that Lazar showed he can still chip in offensively not long ago. In 2023-24 with the New Jersey Devils, he put up 25 points in 71 games, which at least leaves the door open for Buffalo to view him as a bounce-back candidate rather than just a depth body.
And the Sabres already know what they would be getting. Lazar played in Buffalo from 2019-20 through 2020-21 before being dealt to the Boston Bruins with Taylor Hall ahead of the 2021 NHL trade deadline.
Over 71 games across those two seasons, he recorded 10 goals, 19 points, and 134 hits. He was a serviceable bottom-six piece then, and a return on a PTO would give the Sabres a familiar, practical option for their forward group.
Even if he ended up as an extra forward, Lazar could still have value simply by being around. Injuries happen, and having a 31-year-old veteran available for insurance would not hurt Buffalo. It remains to be seen whether the Sabres give him that look, but he checks a lot of the boxes for a team that could use a little more depth.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Got An Uncomfortable Reminder About The Bowen Byram Deal
Bowen Byrams time in Buffalo was always going to be measured against the role he wanted and the one the Sabres could realistically give him. After signing a two-year bridge deal in July 2025 as a restricted free agent, the defenseman was moved on to Chicago in a deal that sent Byram and Jordan Greenway to the Blackhawks for draft picks and Louis Crevier, closing the book on a short stay that never quite found the right fit.
Chicago then moved quickly to make Byram part of its long-term plan, locking him up on a six-year extension and signaling that he is expected to anchor the blue line there. For Buffalo, it is an uncomfortable reminder of how fast the market can shift when a player with top-pair upside reaches the right situation, and of how little margin there is when a team cannot fully satisfy that kind of ambition. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Could Face A Brutal Expansion Decision Fans Will Hate
With talk swirling about the NHL possibly adding a 33rd team next summer, the Sabres are already being pulled into the kind of roster math no front office wants to do. An expansion draft would force every club to protect a set number of players, and Shayna Goldmans hypothetical list for Buffalo sketches out the sort of choices that could become unavoidable if the league does move forward.
For the Sabres, the exercise is especially uncomfortable because the roster is young enough to make the decisions feel consequential and fluid enough that nothing is locked in yet. Goldmans framework includes eight skaters and one goalie, with future moves still able to reshape the picture before any expansion process actually arrives, which is why this remains more of a warning sign than a finished verdict. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Linked To Proven Scoring Option As Pressure Builds On Buffalo
The Sabres are still looking for ways to add offense, and a recent Hockey News piece by Julian Gaudio put Buffalo in the mix as a possible landing spot for Vladimir Tarasenko. The idea is straightforward enough: if the Sabres do not wind up with Patrick Kane, they could turn to another veteran scorer to help deepen a lineup that has been searching for more finishing punch.
Tarasenkos recent production suggests there is still something left in the tank, with 23 goals and 24 assists in 75 games for Minnesota last season. For Buffalo, the appeal is less about splash and more about fit, because a proven scorer on a short-term deal would give the Sabres another established option as they try to make their offense harder to defend. [Read more 🡒]