Sabre Noise
Fansided

Debate: should the Buffalo Sabres sign Filip Forsberg

By Zach Jezioro

DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 03: Filip Forsberg #9 the Nashville Predators fights for control of the puck against Artturi Lehkonen #62 of the Colorado Avalanche in the first period during Game One of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena at Ball Arena on May 03, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 03: Filip Forsberg #9 the Nashville Predators fights for control of the puck against Artturi Lehkonen #62 of the Colorado Avalanche in the first period during Game One of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena at Ball Arena on May 03, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Another big name on the free agent market is Filip Forsberg. Should the Buffalo Sabres bring in him and if so, how can he help the team?

With the amount of money the Buffalo Sabres have going into this offseason, could they try and land Nashville Predators star forward Filip Forsberg? Whoever Forsberg signs with, whether it’s back with Nashville or on a new team, whoever will sign him will have to pay him a lot of money. Just like the debate we had with Johnny Gaudreau, we will have a debate whether or not the Sabres should sign Filip.

Why the Buffalo Sabres should sign Filip Forsberg

Looking at his stats according to Hockey-Reference, Forsberg would be a great signing for the Sabres. In 69 games played last year with Nashville, he scored 42 goals and registered 42 assists. Anytime there’s a 40 goal scorer available, you should definitely be interested. If there’s a team who can sign him, it’s the Sabres.

He can definitely be a first line guy and have him on the power play unit. You can possibly have him on the second line but with that good of a player, having him on the first line makes the most sense. Lastly, he is a proven goal scorer and a good player all around.

If you look at his stats, 3 of the 10 seasons he didn’t score at least 20 goals. Besides those seasons, Forsberg has scored at least 20 goals which includes two 30-goal seasons and one 40-goal season.

Why the Buffalo Sabres should look elsewhere

The most obvious reason is the money situation. As mentioned earlier, whoever signs Forsberg will have to pay a hefty price for it and it’s well deserving for him. As Sabres fans know, Buffalo has a rough history of overpaying  certain players and it didn’t work out. Plus, would Forsberg want to come here?

It depends on if he cares more about the money or if he wants to win. Buffalo has the money but are a few years away from being a contender. It’s definitely something to think about from both sides of the situation and we’ll see where Forsberg signs.

Related Story. Sabres free agency hunting: Valeri Nichushkin. light

Overall, Forsberg has developed into a top-tier player who could evolve into a tremendous asset for the Sabres. But his price tag might scare them away considering their sketchy history with signing big-name free agents.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

Home/Free Agency