Where do the Buffalo Sabres go from here?
The Buffalo Sabres have broken a long slide, getting a much-needed 6-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, snapping an 18-game losing streak in the process.
The recent slide secured them the record for the longest streak without a win in the shootout era, tying the 2003-04 Pittsburgh Penguins with the most consecutive losses in the 21st century (including overtime and shootouts.)
Buffalo has the NHL’s worst record, and the club now seems more likely to lobby for favorable positioning in this July’s NHL Draft and watch the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs once more from the outside looking in. To say this season has not gone as planned for the franchise may be more than an understatement, as the team finds itself in the midst of more changes.
The pressure is on Kevyn Adams
GM Kevyn Adams has expressed his dissatisfaction and resolve strongly, taking action in firing head coach Ralph Kruger, bringing on an interim coaching staff, and parting ways with another scout, as he has begun interviews to tab an assistant general manager. Previous Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Jason Karmanos has been reported as a front runner for the position. He and Adams were with the Carolina Hurricanes when they won the Stanley Cup together in 2006.
This is the proactive result-oriented approach seen during his first offseason with the team, which will continue with the support of ownership until the right outcomes are achieved. The GM even got an up-close look for himself at the team, acting as the head coach during last Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“There’s a different perspective when you’re behind the bench,” said Adams. “You’re feeling the emotions of the game. You’re understanding how the players are interacting. You just see things in a little bit of a different way at ice level. So for sure, for me, I learned. [The] downside to that was it was challenging circumstances around.”
Big changes have happened, and we should expect more incoming
Last Summer saw a sweeping housecleaning of the Sabres front office, which began an overhaul and retooling that included bringing in Adams. Those changes continued in free agency and trade periods that brought in additions like top free agent and former MVP Taylor Hall and veteran Eric Staal. The NHL Draft saw the team add even more talent they hope will contribute to turning the franchise’s fortunes around from a team looking to make the playoffs to one that can contend for the Stanley Cup.
This ripple of changes began in part due to 24-year-old star Jack Eichel‘s comments and concerns following another year of missing the postseason. Similar to how the Pegula’s evaluated and made changes to the coaching staff and player personnel of the cross-town Buffalo Bills, they are looking to similarly “right the ship” with their Sabres franchise as well.
Ultimately the team’s success rate on the ice has determined their fate this season. Close games that don’t fall in their favor, emerging young talent like Dylan Cozens, and points streaks like Victor Olofsson‘s offer hope and optimism but have not translated to the wins needed to compete. As different as the realigned divisions and format the NHL has rolled out has been, so has been some of the unexpected curveballs the players have dealt with off the ice as well.
This week, now-former-Sabre Eric Staal described the obstacles faced this year with the team…
“There were so many hurdles. There were so many things that just didn’t line up the way that we had in mind or had envisioned,” Staal said. “The reality is we started OK. We had an up and down kind of first two weeks or so. We were kind of finding our game and filling our roles, and then we got hit with COVID… It went through our room like wildfire and it wasn’t great. Two weeks of guys battling that, and a couple of guys battling it pretty hard, it was difficult. We kind of, after that, coming back, never found any footing.”
With the April 12th NHL trade deadline approaching, Adams traded Staal to the Montreal Canadians for 3rd and 5th-round picks in this year’s draft and traded goalie Jonas Johansson to the Colorado Avalanch for a 6th-round draft pick.
It’s been reported that teams are interested in Taylor Hall, whose one-year deal means he could act as a rental for a playoff team and could re-sign with Buffalo this offseason. Columnist for The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun, has suggested that Hall’s initial asking price is a first-round pick.
Hearing that the initial asking price for Taylor Hall involves a first-round pick... Probably going to be tough to get that in this buyer's market but it's the right place to start two weeks out if you're Buffalo. @TheAthletic @TSNHockey
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 26, 2021
Another report suggests that Kevyn Adams may be looking to trade Sam Reinhart for another player of similar age and skill level at a different position. Said another GM: “The ask is for a top-six forward. He’s not looking for a draft pick. He wants someone in a similar age bracket, maybe a different position, maybe a left shot, maybe a center, but a top-six forward.”
So far, the Sabres two trades have fetched some draft surplus in return that could allow some maneuvering on the trade market or in the draft itself to select high-round talent or to trade up and select more top-tier prospects. The Sabres now have eight picks in the 2021 NHL Draft.
This offseason will be a busy one
The league salary cap appears set to remain at or around $81.5 million for the foreseeable future as the league recovers from its pandemic revenue losses. Another important factor to note on Adams’ roster evaluations is his preparation for the Wednesday, July 21st expansion draft by the NHL’s newest franchise in Seattle.
As detailed by Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News, the expansion draft will have the following guidelines:
• “Each team will have the option to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters and one goalie.”
• “First- and second-year professionals, as well as unsigned draft picks, are exempt.”
• “All players with a no-movement clause must be protected unless they voluntarily agree to waive.”
While all this has been going on, Sabres captain Jack Eichel has been getting a second opinion on an upper-body injury he’s been sitting out with, which is not at this time thought to be season-ending. Without meaningful hockey to play for, however, the team may not look to rush him back and risk any further injury.
Eichel is only 24 with a contract that runs through 2025-26, making him a more sensible franchise cornerstone to build around than what it would take to make the money work in a trade (and what they’d give up in losing one of the league’s best young talents). This upcoming offseason could go a long way to determining if Eichel plays out the rest of his contract in Buffalo.
Next. How will the new NHL Draft Lottery rules affect the Sabres?. dark
It seems that Adams is a man on a mission and that Sabres fans can find a silver lining in knowing he will continue to make whatever changes necessary to build a winning NHL playoff team in Buffalo.