So far in 2022-23, the Buffalo Sabres have exceeded most everyone’s expectations given their spot in the wild card race, but this is just the beginning.
Several teams around the NHL have pulled off blockbuster trades in hopes to hoist the Stanley Cup in June. But the Buffalo Sabres have thus far made one simple move in a trade for defenseman Riley Stillman. This occurred much to the chagrin of fans, who wanted to see a blockbuster, mainly for Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun.
Before he went to the New Jersey Devils, forward Timo Meier was viewed as a hot commodity among the fanbase. But as I stated before, the Sabres were smart not to trade for either player, at least this is under the assumption they don’t surprise the NHL universe and trade for Chychrun.
Why is this? You only need to look at the team’s projected future on paper to understand why it would be foolish to give up so much in a blockbuster trade. At least that’s the case when you’re competing for a wild card spot as the league’s youngest team.
Buffalo Sabres future is why a blockbuster would be foolish
Gazing into the crystal ball, here are the Sabres forwards that will be part of this team long-term in the near-future: Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, J.J. Peterka, Dylan Cozens, Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs, Matt Savoie, Jiri Kulich.
You also can’t rule out the following players: Tyson Jost, Casey Mittelstadt, Victor Olofsson, Noah Ostlund, and Isak Rosen. Of course, there are other high-end prospects out there like Brett Murray, Linus Weissbach, Brandon Biro, and Lukas Rousek, to name a few.
With so much talent and long-term potential, there is no reason for Adams to make a wager on getting rid of high-end prospects like Savoie, Ostlund, or Rosen, to name a few, plus a first and possibly more from someone like the injury-prone Chychrun. Tim Murray probably would have done it, and we all know how “well” his idea of depleting the prospect pool via trades turned out.
We already know what his idea of a rebuild, or a build, looked like, and it didn’t work. So why risk making the same mistakes that helped contribute to a near 12-year playoff drought?
As for the blueliners…
On defense, you got three remarkable assets in Owen Power, Rasmus Dahlin, and Mattias Samuelsson who will be in town long-term. Henri Jokiharju, though he gets criticism, is no slouch. And if Ryan Johnson signs, then the Sabres have quite the top four long-term in the defensive rotation, even if he may not play in Buffalo right away.
And what if Stillman comes in and has a solid outing in Granato’s system? His contract runs through next season at a measly $1.35 million per Cap Friendly, so why not give him a trial? That gives the Sabres yet another young defenseman.
Then there are the picks for 2023: A first rounder, and three second rounders, which will fill up the pool on the blueline. Plus, this pool would, as with forward, be full of young talent with the potential to be Buffalo Sabres long-term.
This defeats any blockbuster trade involving a multitude of draft picks and prospects. Sure, it made sense to move Josh Bloom, given the list of forwards I just shared above. There’s no room for the kid, so let him continue his career somewhere else.
By the time the deadline arrives, you may see Adams pull off a similar trade involving a mid-tier prospect for a flier on someone who could fit in Granato’s system. But as it stands, a blockbuster makes absolutely no sense for the Buffalo Sabres. When will it make sense? Once this team is in the Atlantic Division’s top three, expect Adams to pull off something big.
Source: Sabres trade deadline primer: How GM Kevyn Adams can add to his contending roster by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com
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