Buffalo Sabres made a huge mistake not trading these players
By Sion Fawkes
Cody Eakin
Eakin turns 31 shortly after the season and like Butcher and Miller, he has not lived up to his $2.5 million base salary. And he’s another player the Sabres will probably let walk following a season where he has mainly found himself stuck on the fourth line.
Not that Eakin didn’t have value. No, he’s not suited to log over 15 minutes of ice time per game. And no, he won’t log points, having amassed just 11 in 58 games in 2021-22. But Eakin is an expert puck handler who can win face-offs, recording a face-off win percentage of 50% or better over the past three seasons.
This shows that Eakin can set things up for incoming scoring lines. Something a contending team will find ultra-valuable on the fourth line and it’s likely they would have overpaid the Sabres compensation for Eakin’s services.
Related Story. Were Kevyn Adams' priorities correct?. light
Overall, the Sabres should have done all they could to get rid of the above four veterans. Even if teams were looking to give up minimal compensation, the Sabres would at least have received something in return. Which is better than either overpaying them to stay, or letting them walk following the season for nothing.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)