Top 3 forwards Buffalo Sabres could acquire by trade deadline
By Sion Fawkes
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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