Will the Sabres pull off a potential trade with Pittsburgh in 2022-23?
By Sion Fawkes
Pittsburgh Hockey Now has the Buffalo Sabres listed as one of four potential trading partners with the Pittsburgh Penguins for 2022-23.
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now outlined four teams that they believed would comprise potential trading partners with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Buffalo Sabres were among them, and it is a projection that might make sense this season.
Odds are, the Sabres are a year away from becoming serious contenders. So unless they are in the middle of pulling off an improbable Cinderella run, odds are, they will sell. But they won’t sell any youngsters. Instead look for them to sell one or more of the team’s older assets in 2022-23.
Would the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins pull off a trade in 2022-23?
Two prime trade candidates who immediately jump out at me are Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons. But Okposo figures to be the team captain and the undisputed leader of the Buffalo Sabres heading into the season, so I find it highly unlikely that he will be traded unless someone like the Penguins offer a ransom. Something I don’t foresee.
However, trading Girgensons to the Penguins would make a lot of sense. And more than just the fact that he has ties to the City of Pittsburgh. Girgensons is listed as a center but he has spent ample time at winger throughout his NHL career, which gives him versatility.
He is a hard hitter who is also capable of winning face-offs (career-high 49.8 FOW% in 2021-22), which would make him a pivotal part of the Penguins fourth line in at least a rotational role. However, the question remains: Can he stay healthy enough to keep his trade value afloat?