Top 3 forwards Buffalo Sabres could acquire by trade deadline
The Buffalo Sabres, if they embark on a hot streak after returning to the ice on February 11th, could wind up as buyers at the trade deadline.
Last week, we talked about three defensemen the Blue and Gold could trade for as the trade deadline nears. Now, it’s time to shift gears and talk about three forwards the Buffalo Sabres could have their eye on with the deadline approaching.
As with the defensemen, don’t expect a trade unless general manager Kevyn Adams isn’t forced to break the bank. The Sabres are by all means a team still under construction and they will likely re-sign Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Dahlin to long-term deals following the season. So keep that in mind as I outline three players who could provide sound supporting roles for the Sabres on or before March 3rd.
The following names won’t entail blockbuster deals. But if the Sabres find themselves on the verge of making a playoff run, they will provide a huge help and an upgrade on the middle to lower lines.
Forward #1 – Nick Ritchie, Arizona Coyotes
If there is one thing the Buffalo Sabres lack, it’s physicality. Right now, Peyton Krebs is the team’s only all-out physical forward, but Nick Ritchie can change that. With 133 hits in just 47 games, you can tell Ritchie is the type of player that seeks out and craves contact.
The 27-year-old is also a decent scorer, with 21 points in 47 games, putting him on pace to best his previous career-high of the 31 points he scored in 2018-19. But if the Sabres were to trade for this lower-liner, it would be for his physical prowess.
Ritchie is the kind of player the Sabres could swap for a mid-round pick either in 2023 or 2024. But with the Arizona Coyotes looking to build their program quickly, expect them to ask for something in the realm of a third round pick in 2023.
Max Domi, Chicago Blackhawks
The Buffalo Sabres may be a much-improved hockey team, there is no denying it. But they are still abysmal when it comes to winning faceoffs. Last season, the Blue and Gold had a decent faceoff specialist in Cody Eakin, but the journeyman did little else to give value to the team, which is why Adams didn’t bother re-signing him.
There have been numerous instances this season where the Sabres allowed easy goals because they lost faceoffs, so acquiring a player like Max Domi would make a ton of sense here. As with Ritchie, Domi won’t cost much, likely a swap for even someone like Jacob Bryson could work here, or a third or fourth-round pick.
Domi would likely jump onto the fourth line if such a trade were to occur and simply look to gain possession of the puck for the scoring lines. He has a 55.5% FOW% so far this season and 344 faceoff wins overall.
Ivan Barbashev
And finally, we got Ivan Barbashev, who could fare as another solid, physical lower-liner. Barbashev would come at a higher price, as he is also a sound scorer, having put up 60 points in 81 games last season.
But as with Nick Ritchie, if the Buffalo Sabres were to take this route, they would be acquiring Barbashev to add a little more physicality to their lower lines. Still though, you can’t deny just how accurate Barbashev’s shot is – 23.4% in 2021-22, a solid 11.8% this year, and 17.9% overall.
With a potentially higher asking price, it would be tougher to see Adams so willing to pull this one off. But if the price isn’t sky high, it wouldn’t surprise me if he at least played with the idea of adding a physical presence like Barbashev to the roster.
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Overall, I’m not expecting Adams to make a trade. But if he does, it won’t be a blockbuster deal, but one that will look to turn a weakness, like physicality and winning faceoffs, into a strength.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
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