The Buffalo Sabres shipped off Robert Hagg before the trade deadline for a sixth-round pick.
The Buffalo Sabres are about to get a boost on their defensive pairings with Casey Fitzgerald’s return to the ice looming. Fitzgerald has not seen action since March 10th when he sustained an upper-body injury. Now that he’s raring to go, the Sabres still have a logjam on the lower defensive pairings.
To further compound things, the Sabres have a lot of money invested in two older defensemen. Well, older given the average age of the team, although Colin Miller and Will Butcher are technically middle-aged in hockey years.
With nearly $7 million invested in the duo, it would be hard to bring them back for 2022-23 just to see under 20 minutes of ice time on the third pairing unless they’d be willing to return at a reduced rate. Both of their contracts expire following the season, so it remains to be seen whether Kevyn Adams is willing to sit with them at the negotiating table.
Both players have their strong suits that have been on display on the ice. They provide value, but not to the extent of their current salaries.
Mark Pysyk is another low-tier defenseman whose contract is also set to expire. However, with just $900,000 in base salary, he provides a cheaper alternative to Miller and Butcher, should the Sabres keep one or more of them.
The Sabres may also not keep any of the aforementioned names. It’s easy for them to go with the young talent they got in Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, Mattias Samuelsson, Fitzgerald, and Jacob Bryson. Owen Power is also in the college ranks, and don’t forget about Oskari Laaksonen down in Rochester.
But let’s assume the Sabres want to keep one of their current low-tier defensemen around. Who will stay and why? Let’s make the case for each.