How much value do former Buffalo Sabres bring to their new teams?
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres added some new faces in NHL free agency. But unfortunately, they also had to let a few players go in the process.
The Buffalo Sabres have literally gone from the epitome of dysfunction to a franchise who even saw their unrestricted free agents in high demand from across the league. At the time of this writing, only Cody Eakin remains unsigned, but odds are, he will find a home somewhere.
But until Eakin secures his landing spot, there are nine players who played mainly lower-end roles in the organization that I want to talk about. I will go over the roles they played as Sabres in 2021-22, and what they bring to their new teams for 2022-23.
Are you ready to hear about some old faces playing in new places? Keep reading for more.
How will former Buffalo Sabres serve their new teams? Player #1 – John Hayden, Seattle Kraken
John Hayden didn’t do much in the way of scoring for the Buffalo Sabres in 2021-22. But the part-time player was an important piece of the team’s rotation, given his ability to act as an enforcer and to get physical when necessary.
Hayden signed a one-year, two-way, $750,000 deal with the Seattle Kraken. And while he is playing for a team that still comprises mainly expansion talent outside Andre Burakovsky and Shane Wright, odds are that Hayden will play a similar role in Seattle that he did in Buffalo.
Look for the hard-hitting, enforcer mentality to continue under Hayden. The Yale product also loves to get into the occasional scuffle, which will bring energy into Climate Pledge Arena as the Kraken steamroll into their second season.