Top 3 reasons the Buffalo Sabres won’t make a blockbuster trade
The Buffalo Sabres may be in the Timo Meier-Jakob Chychrun-Patrick Kane rumor mill, but they won’t make a huge trade for either player.
To start things off, I’d like to make a disclaimer: This article does not mean the Buffalo Sabres won’t make a trade. Instead, it’s debunking the rumor that the Blue and Gold will pull off a major trade, like something for Timo Meier, Patrick Kane, or even Jakob Chychrun.
Buffalo could easily pull off a move for someone like Boon Jenner, or an equivalent talent. It’s possible they trade for a winger like Anthony Duclair, or even a physical defenseman like Luke Schenn.
As for landing someone like Chychrun, Kane or Meier, it’s not going to happen. Here are three reasons why.
1 – Major trades are not Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams’ style
By now, we should know this, but Kevyn Adams spent too much time building the Buffalo Sabres prospects pool to trade for even a top-level NHL talent. Kane and Meier are both in contract seasons, so the only way Adams would even remotely consider the possibility is if they intended to sign an extension the second they arrived in the Queen City.
Adams has adamantly stuck to his plan to build the Sabres through its young talent and the prospects pool. So far, it’s paid off. He’s signed several players to long-term extensions, and he also brought in talents like Owen Power, Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs (through trading away a star player), and J.J. Peterka, to name a few.
Given the Sabres 26-20-4 record, you can argue Adams’ style has worked. So why try to fix something that isn’t broken?
2 – High potential rewards also come with high risk
At 34, Kane isn’t the player he once was, so trading for him makes zero sense. Meier is much younger, but we wouldn’t know how well he fits into the Sabres system until he arrives. And if he doesn’t, Adams just wasted a lot of compensation for a bad asset who could cost him a lot of money.
Finally, there’s Chychrun. While he’s a good, young player, he’s also an injury risk currently carrying a total salary of $5.4 million and $7 million over the next two seasons. Once again, pulling off a blockbuster trade for someone like Chychrun is a major risk.
3 – The Sabres want to save cap space
While this may sound counterintuitive, Adams has a few more players to lock up to long-term contract extensions over the next few seasons. This requires a lot of foresight, and it’s something Adams possesses.
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While it’s impossible to extend everyone to seven-year deals, he’s also going to have Owen Power (a shoo-in for an extension when eligible), Jack Quinn, J.J. Peterka, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Peyton Krebs on his radar. To put himself in the best position to extend most of the aforementioned players down the road, and his desire to keep as many young players as he can on the roster, Adams realizes that pulling off a blockbuster trade at this point isn’t feasible.
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