The Buffalo Sabres are off to a decent enough start, but the next move is the one that really matters: a blockbuster trade.
After Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo came away with a loser point, yet the result still left the Sabres short of a statement against what is arguably the Atlantic Division’s top team. It was a chance to make a little noise. Instead, they let it slip.
That doesn’t make the Sabres a bad team. It makes them a team still under construction.
And because their 15-year Stanley Cup playoff drought ended last season, the pressure has shifted. The next step is no longer just making the dance.
It’s getting beyond the second round next spring.
That’s where GM Jarmo Kekalainen comes in. If Buffalo wants to move from respectable to dangerous, it needs to do what loyal, long-suffering fans have been waiting for: land a name-brand talent in a major trade.
The Sabres have $1.8-million in salary cap space, which means any high-salary addition would require money to go out, either as part of the deal or in a follow-up move. They also have all of their first-round picks over the next three drafts, giving them something real to work with if they decide to make a bold swing. For a team that believes it’s ready to win now, that draft capital matters.
The blue line doesn’t appear to be the place to spend that energy. Buffalo doesn’t need high-end help on defense.
The bigger concern is in goal, where veterans Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis have sub-.900 save percentages. That’s part of why the Sabres have been tied to Connor Hellebuyck.
The other lane is up front. If the Toronto Maple Leafs had the pieces to chase star winger Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo has the kind of trade capital that could land a comparable top-six forward.
Kekalainen has not pulled off a blockbuster since taking over roughly a year ago, but the Sabres haven’t exactly given him a glaring crisis to fix until now. With the team settled in, the opportunity is there to change the shape of the roster in one bold move.
Ryan McLeod is a solid NHL player, and he deserves credit for that. But Buffalo isn’t looking for solid.
It needs star power. It needs someone who can take over games and give this fan base a jolt.
Some of the younger players may grow into that kind of talent later on, but right now the Sabres should be acting like a team that’s ready to swing big.
And sometimes, that’s exactly how these things happen. A player becomes available, the right deal comes together, and a team gets the kind of talent it couldn’t have landed any other way.
If Kekalainen keeps digging in the weeks and months ahead, Buffalo could find that kind of opportunity. And if he lands the right forward or goalie, it might just be the final piece of the puzzle.
In Other News...
Sabres Face A Goaltending Decision That Could Change Everything
Connor Hellebuycks situation in Winnipeg has quickly become one of the most notable goaltending storylines in the league, and Buffalo is right in the middle of it. The Jets have started the season without him after he requested a trade and did not report to training camp, forcing Winnipeg to weigh its options before a Friday deadline as the market for elite goalies takes shape.
For the Sabres, this is the kind of opportunity that can alter a seasons trajectory if the talks get serious. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has placed Buffalo among the clubs linked to the netminder, and with several teams still evaluating their goaltending needs, the coming days could determine whether the Sabres stay on the outside of the conversation or suddenly find themselves in the thick of it. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face One Problem That Could Undercut Their Fast Start
Owen Power and Jack Quinn have been two of the early bright spots in Buffalos fast start, giving the Sabres encouraging production and steady two-way play as the season gets rolling. For a team trying to build momentum early, that kind of emergence matters, especially with Jason Zucker nearing a return and the blue line still sorting through injuries to Matt Grzelcyk and Rasmus Dahlin.
The concern is what has happened when Buffalo has had to kill penalties. The Sabres have given up power-play goals in most games so far, and those lapses have repeatedly undercut otherwise solid stretches of play. Alex Lyon is also dealing with uncertainty after an injury setback, leaving Buffalo with a few moving parts to manage just as the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Keep Letting Winnable Games Turn Into Another Overtime Problem
The Sabres keep finding themselves in the same uncomfortable spot, turning games that should be within reach into a coin flip after regulation. Montreals overtime win pushed the Canadiens to 4-3-1 and added another entry to Buffalos growing stack of extra-session games, a list that already has the Sabres among the league leaders in overtime appearances. For a team trying to build momentum early, those are the kinds of nights that leave points on the table and make every small mistake feel bigger.
Montreals heavy reliance on Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki has been a factor in how the Canadiens have managed those tight games, with both carrying high average ice times that can wear on a lineup over the course of a night. Buffalo, meanwhile, has been on the receiving end of too many games that drift past the 60-minute mark, and the pattern matters because it keeps reinforcing the same question: when the game is there to be taken, can the Sabres finish it before overtime becomes the problem again? [Read more 🡒]