Six Buffalo Sabres In Last Year of Contract
The way things stand right now, six Buffalo Sabres players – including five who have spent the entire season thus far with the NHL club – will become unrestricted free agents as of July 1, unless the team chooses to sign them beforehand.
An additional 18 players, scattered throughout the Buffalo Sabres, Rochester Americans and even the Elmira Jackals, will become restricted free agents.
The second half of this season is especially important for all of these players, as they look to a) make an impression b) meld with their team(s) and c) consider their future, as well as the Buffalo Sabres’ future, and whether or not those two things coincide.
First: the UFAs. Forwards David Legwand and Jamie McGinn, defensemen Mike Weber and Carlo Colaiacovo, goaltender Chad Johnson and Amerks’ Bobby Sanguinetti are all set to become UFAs at the end of the season.
As for the RFAs, there’s forwards Marcus Foligno, Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Nicolas Deslauriers and Tim Schaller; defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe. At the AHL/ECHL level there’s Nathan Lieuwen, Matt Donovan, Chad Ruhwedel, Dan Catenacci, Jack Nevins, Colin Jacobs, Andrey Makarov, Jerry D’Amigo, Jerome Leduc, Philip Varone and Jason Akeson.
That’s a lot of bodies to re-sign, so let’s look at it one piece at a time.
BUFFALO SABRES GOALTENDERS
Right now, the Buffalo Sabres only have two goaltenders signed going forward: Robin Lehner and Linus Ullmark.
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With Johnson, Lieuwen and Makarov all potentially free agents, here’s what I’d do: re-sign Johnson and make him and Lehner your NHL tandem up with the Buffalo Sabres.
We haven’t gotten a real look at what Lehner can do, since he was injured so early into the season. In the same sense, trading him would be a challenge since he IS recovering from that injury. So keep him on board, pair him with Johnson, and we’ll stick with what the Buffalo Sabres had at the start of this season.
Have Ullmark be one of two goaltenders down in Rochester, re-signing Makarov.
Lieuwen’s been good, but his injury-prone status over the past few years could be troubling. There’s potential the Sabres could have all three go, eventually sending one of the three down to Elmira, but at what point do you stop saying “Okay, yes, let’s keep doing this” and just say “We need to move on?”
BUFFALO SABRES DEFENSEMEN
As of right now, the Buffalo Sabres have the following locked up on D: Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, Cody Franson, Mark Pysyk, Brendan Guhle, Brady Austin.
If we’re content with putting Bogo, Gorges, Franson & Pysyk as part of the top 6 in the NHL, that leaves two more spots.
Re-sign Rasmus Ristolainen; that’s an easy one.
Carlo Colaiacovo and Mike Weber are both UFAs, and it seems likely the Sabres let one (or both) of them walk away. Weber has been with the Buffalo Sabres organization for so long, re-signed time and time again, but continues to struggle to hold his spot. It could be time the team finally decides to move on, and let him move on too.
That leaves the Buffalo Sabres one top-six D spot to play with, plenty of room for Tim Murray to acquire someone over the summer, whether via trade or free agency.
Re-sign McCabe, but maybe keep him in the AHL for the time being; the same for Ruhwedel. Leduc is one of those players that is a “meh,” either keep him or don’t. While I’d like to see him succeed at the AHL level, he’s likely never going to be an NHL bluleliner.
BUFFALO SABRES FORWARDS
Right now we’ve got Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis, Brian Gionta, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart locked up.
The Sabres should extend qualifying offers to Girgensons, Foligno and Schaller.
Sign Jamie McGinn; he’s been doing well this season, but let David Legwand walk. Is he really worth the $3 million cap hit?
The Sabres will likely qualify Johan Larsson and Nicolas Deslauriers.
What about Varone? He’s been great at the AHL level for years in a row, but could his time with the Buffalo Sabres organization be coming to an end? Varone’s been healthy scratched for several games lately and that could spell trouble for his future with the team.
I’d qualify him – but then again, I’m no Tim Murray. I’d also qualify Catenacci and D’Amigo, but let Jacobs and Akeson walk (unless it turns out you need more bodies for Rochester, but even in that case, there could be better pickups along the way.)
No matter which way you spin it, there are a lot of players hanging in the balance for the Buffalo Sabres this summer.
Next: Moulson Needs To Step Up
Tim Murray has some decisions to make about the future of this time, and the future of the Rochester Americans, and decide if a few players’ time is up in the Queen City.