The Buffalo Sabres know better than most what Nikita Kucherov can do to them. In 43 career games against Buffalo, the Tampa Bay Lightning winger has piled up 56 points, with 23 goals and 33 assists.
That’s why the latest twist in his trade situation lands as bad news for a team that could use the Atlantic Division to get a little more breathing room. Kucherov asked for a trade, which briefly opened the door to the idea of him leaving Tampa Bay. But the early buzz around that possibility is fading fast.
According to RG’s Daria Tuboltseva, Kucherov is seeking a chance to play with another elite star, and two names in the Atlantic have surfaced: the Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews.
"He wants to be the top scorer every year and play on a team with [Connor] McDavid or Matthews or Pastrnak, plus in a big market, so people talk about how good he is," a source told Tuboltseva. "Playing in Florida, people forget about you from time to time."
That same source called Toronto the "more realistic option," though the Leafs may have to wait until Kucherov reaches unrestricted free agency next summer instead of trying to work out an in-division trade with the Lightning.
Detroit and Montreal have also been mentioned as possible destinations for the 33-year-old Russian winger. The Red Wings are looking for help to solve the Dylan Larkin mess, while the Canadiens have been searching for one more high-end player.
For Buffalo, the bigger picture is obvious. If Kucherov ends up somewhere else in the Atlantic, that would be one less elite scorer to deal with in a division that is once again looking like the NHL’s toughest. That would help the Sabres’ chances of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season.
But right now, that outcome looks far from certain.
Buffalo’s own search for star talent has been a rough one. The Sabres had a shot at former Winnipeg Jets cornerstone Connor Hellebuyck before he was dealt to the New Jersey Devils, but general manager Jarmo Kekalainen never seemed eager to pay a premium for a 33-year-old goalie coming off a career-worst season.
And the misses have kept coming. Since Kekalainen took over the front office last December, St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko has used his no-trade clause to block a move to Buffalo, a push for Blues center Robert Thomas has fallen short, Patrick Kane passed on the club in free agency, and Larkin has so far declined to include the Sabres on his preferred list amid his trade request.
It’s a frustrating pattern for a team that probably needs more star power - and ideally a true No. 1 center - to go toe-to-toe with the league’s best.
Buffalo has never been an easy sell. It’s a small market, the winters aren’t exactly a draw, the taxes aren’t friendly, and the franchise’s record-setting 14-year playoff drought is still fresh enough that players won’t just shrug it off.
Even so, the Sabres hoped that last season’s fourth-place finish and run to the second round would help change the conversation. Outside of Hellebuyck, that hasn’t happened.
Now the question is how Kekalainen and the front office fill the gaps. The cleanest answer would be finding impact players who are under team control and don’t have no-movement clauses, but that pool is tiny, and most of those names aren’t actually on the market.
For now, Buffalo’s best bet may still be the one it made from the start: banking on its young players to keep growing and provide the internal boost the roster needs.
In Other News...
Tage Thompson May Have Solved One Sabres Problem While Exposing Another
Moving Tage Thompson to the wing has given the Sabres a cleaner look in the offensive zone, and the early returns have been hard to ignore. Thompson has been driving Buffalos recent wins with a surge that has him leading the team in goals, while Zach Bensons presence alongside him has helped give that line a more balanced feel and more consistent puck movement.
The tradeoff, of course, is what Buffalo gives up down the middle to make it work. Thompson looks more comfortable on the wing, but the Sabres are still sorting through center depth and trying to keep the lineup from feeling thin in that spot, a reminder that one fix can create another problem just as quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Crease Could Change Fast With One Return Closing In
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The goalie situation is only part of a busy injury picture around the roster. Jiri Kulich has returned from concussion protocol, while Conor Timmins and Justin Danforth have resumed practice, but Zach Bensons status remains uncertain and Konsta Helenius is now week-to-week with an upper-body injury. For a Sabres team trying to stabilize its lineup, Lyons return could come at just the right time, even if the next step is still waiting on final clearance. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Are Finally Showing The Identity Fans Have Waited For
A road trip that started with questions ended with Buffalo looking a lot more like the team its fans have been waiting to see. The Sabres capped a three-game winning streak with a 3-2 win over the Kings at Crypto.com Arena, and the performance had the kind of ingredients that have been missing too often this season: timely scoring, a steadier power play and a goalie who made the necessary stops.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned aside 27 shots for his fourth win, while Tage Thompson supplied two goals and continued to drive the offense when it mattered most. The bigger takeaway for Buffalo is not just the result, but the way it came together away from home, with the special teams showing real progress and the group starting to play with a clearer identity. [Read more 🡒]