With fans debating whether the Buffalo Sabres should pursue the biggest fish in the UFA pool, we start by examining the pros of such a move.
All right: I’ve spent enough time sitting on the sidelines, listening to the incessant Steven Stamkos discussions that are taking place on blogs and on Twitter.
Time for me to get in the game!
There are many pros and cons as to why the Buffalo Sabres should make a genuine attempt to sign Steven Stamkos, who will become the most sought-after free agent in the NHL come July 1. Breaking down both sides of the argument would take too long for one sitting, so today I present the argument for signing Stammer, with the argument against coming a little later in the week.
First, some perspective, courtesy of NHL.com:
With those statistics in mind, here are three reasons why the Buffalo Sabres should fight to sign Stamkos.
1. Stamkos makes the Sabres a playoff team by himself.
Stamkos has never scored less than 40 points in a season, and is averaging just under a point per game over the course of his NHL career. Even his worst goal-scoring season would have given the Sabres a positive goal-differential in 2015-16, and that alone could have given the team a chance to fight for a playoff spot. Don’t agree? Ask yourself, are the Buffalo Sabres six wins better with Stamkos on the roster? Because six more wins would have put the Sabres at 41 on the season, the same number as the Detroit Red Wings and the Philadelphia Flyers.
And with Stamkos in the lineup, the Sabres are not just a team that can make the postseason; they become a legitimate threat to actually advance. Stamkos finished the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs tied for 7th in points scored, and led all postseason players with 6 assists on the power play. His 8 total points on the power play had him tied with his teammate, Nikita Kucherov, for most in the postseason, and while you can argue that Stamkos may not be the Lightning’s best player any more, that’s more of a compliment to Tyler Johnson and Kucherov than it is an insult to Stamkos (and even then, only Kucherov has been able to put together a complete season, with Johnson finally putting a disappointing regular season behind him now that the playoffs have started).
Stamkos is still one of the top-25 scorers in the NHL, and would instantly (on paper) put the Sabres among the top 8-10 teams in the Eastern Conference.
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2. Stamkos would put the Buffalo Sabres back on the map.
As much as I love Ryan O’Reilly, Steven Stamkos would give Buffalo a true super star, a perennial All-Star who has twice won the Maurice Richard Trophy. As a result, the Sabres would gain a ton of credibility and attention from the league, and from fans of hockey in general.
Some of you may say, “Who cares what the rest of the NHL thinks about the Buffalo Sabres?” Well, the Buffalo Sabres do, for starters. If you don’t think the Sabres would like a little more national attention, you don’t understand professional sports. Yes, we all know Jack Eichel is a star in the making, but Steven Stamkos is a star, now, and everything that goes hand-in-hand with having a star on your roster – merchandise sales, nationally-televised games, high demand for tickets, increased media attention – benefits the Sabres organization.
Professional hockey is a business, and the Buffalo Sabres stand to make a lot of money by bringing a superstar like Stamkos into the 716. Fans might only care about what Stamkos can do on the ice, but landing a big fish would benefit the Sabres greatly off the ice, as well.
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3. Signing Stamkos keeps him out of Toronto.
There is the potential for a nice rivalry to develop between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres, and Buffalo fans would prefer to see the Sabres wind up on the winning side. Toronto may have displaced Buffalo as the worst team in the league by the end of the 2015-16 season, but the Maple Leafs are absolutely loaded with young talent and will be getting even richer in that department once they draft Auston Matthews. Landing Stamkos would speed up their rebuild and further cement the Leafs standing as the NHL’s little darling for at least another 5-7 years.
Stealing Stamkos out from under the noses of Mike Babcock, Brendan Shanahan, Lou Lamoriello and the Leafs faithful, however . . . well, that would be almost as satisfying as watching the Buffalo Sabres win Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Tomorrow, I will tackle the reasons why the Sabres should not attempt to sign Steven Stamkos, so keep the comments below on the “Buy him” side, and save the arguments against for the future!