The NHL offseason has fallen upon the Buffalo Sabres and general manager Kevyn Adams is preparing for both the draft and free agency.
The Buffalo Sabres are on the verge of contention. They finished fifth in the NHL’s Atlantic Division last season with 75 points. Still nowhere near where they needed to be to secure even a wild card, but drastic improvement nonetheless, considering 35 of those points came between March 2nd and April 29th.
With potential turmoil going on over in Boston, the Sabres could easily find themselves in the top half of the division. But the Toronto Maple Leafs could be seeing a smaller-scale exodus too, considering their lack of cap space. Which is a power play, no pun intended, for the Sabres.
Especially since they have a plethora of cap space. Now, while they need to think ahead and prioritize keeping their core, it is no secret that they want to remain in contention all season long. So there are a few unrestricted free agents the team may target this offseason.
Which UFAs should the Buffalo Sabres target?
Simply put, the Buffalo Sabres need to target free agents who they feel will best serve the team from a chemistry standpoint. The Sabres have their first line set, and possibly even if their second line if winger Victor Olofsson returns.
If Olofsson comes back to Buffalo, you can expect the lines to look like this:
- Line One: Skinner, Thompson, Tuch
- Line Two: Krebs, Cozens, Olofsson*
- Line Three: Okposo, Mittelstadt, Asplund
- Line Four: Quinn, Girgensons, Peterka
- Rotational pieces: Hinostroza*, Hayden*
Those marked with asterisks will need to re-sign. I also included J.J. Peterka and Jack Quinn on the fourth line. However, you can expect them to work their way up into the top three lines in time. But early on expect them to further serve as rotational pieces.
I also projected Hinostroza and Hayden to return. As you can see from my projections, there is very little room for any unrestricted free agents at forward. But this doesn’t mean Kevyn Adams won’t sign someone.
An article by WYRK Buffalo outlined five potential free agent targets for the Buffalo Sabres. You will find four forwards and one goaltender in that piece, and in the following slides.
I will break down these players and let you know whether they will continue their career in Buffalo. But with so many projected spots at forward already filled, there is only room for two of them tops unless the Sabres let their own pending UFAs walk.