Top 5 defensemen the Buffalo Sabres can trade for in 2023
The Buffalo Sabres need one more defenseman capable of playing in the top four. Will they seek a big trade to land what could be a dynamic puzzle piece?
While general manager Kevyn Adams has built the Buffalo Sabres primarily through the draft, the prospects pool, and trading for young talent, the Blue and Gold are now in a prime position to pull off that trade fans have wanted for a while now. When you build a team, you set the foundation, and from there, you bring your team back to respectability, something Adams accomplished in the Queen City.
Then, you take that next step. With a roster full of young talent, even at goaltender these days, this team is a puzzle piece away from breaking back into the playoffs after what will be a 13-year absence. And while Adams could always sign a top four caliber blueliner, he can also trade for one.
Last week, Lance Lysowski of Buffalo News listed nine potential trade candidates that Adams could realistically acquire. Below, you will find my five favorite names from his list, and why I believe they could be a good fit for the Blue and Gold.
5 defensemen the Buffalo Sabres can acquire in 2023
1 – Noah Hanifin, Calgary
I know, I know, he’s not the RHD you may want, but the truth is, Noah Hanifin consistently invades shooting lanes, having logged 129 blocks this past season. Like Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, and Owen Power, he’s also capable of logging between 22 and 23 minutes of ice time, and as a bonus, Hanifin can also score, with 38 points in 81 contests last year.
His AAV, per Cap Friendly, is just $4.95 million, which fits well into the Buffalo Sabres budget. Overall, don’t be surprised if Adams picks up the phone and inquires about Hanifin, as the only real downside is that his contract will expire following 2023-24, so the best way to see a trade like this happening is if the Buffalo Sabres are willing to sign him to an extension sooner than later.
2 – Connor Murphy, Chicago
If you’re looking for that RHD, then Connor Murphy could be your guy, especially if you’re also looking for a pure stay-at-home type. While Murphy averaged just 19:23 of ice time per game last season, he did snag over 21 minutes in the three years leading to 2022-23, so he can definitely handle another few minutes per game.
Signed through 2025-26, his AAV also sits at just $4.4 million, which is once again something Adams can handle with ease. Murphy would also make for great insurance for Mattias Samuelsson if the latter again struggles with injuries – he amassed 160 blocks and 165 hits in 2022-23.
The only real uncertainty is whether the Chicago Blackhawks will want to hold onto Murphy now that they know they will land Connor Bedard. However, they could also keep tearing things down, and ultimately build a young team around the star forward.
3 – William Borgen, Seattle
A familiar face, right? William Borgen is a restricted free agent, so there would be a few more hoops to jump through if the Buffalo Sabres are interested in pursuing him. Borgen, however, saw time in a blue and gold uniform between 2019 and 2021. Plus, he is another RHD, and a physical one at that, having logged 203 hits this past season.
The only knock on Borgen at this point is that he’s never accumulated over 17 minutes per game, on average. Overall, of all the names on this list, I would say, at this point, Borgen is intriguing, but more of a longshot.
Besides, there is a good chance the Seattle Kraken will keep him, but you never know. And finally, there is also the assurance Borgen won’t break the bank. So while I see him more as a darkhorse candidate, he could wind up as a good fit.
4 – Matt Grzelcyk, Boston
Yet another option that fits well within the Buffalo Sabres budget with an AAV of $3.687 million and a total salary for 2023-24 of $4.25 million, Matt Grzelcyk isn’t the most physical blueliner on this list. But his game still reciprocates Owen Power’s enough for the Buffalo Sabres to have some interest.
The one downside here is that Grzelcyk would be a rental piece at the moment, since he’s only signed through 2023-24. You may not like Grzelcyk simply because he’s an LHD, but hey, the guy knows more than enough about winning, and helping his team win – the Boston Bruins on-ice save percentage was a ridiculous 94.5% with him on the ice at 5-on-5, and it never dipped below 92.2% in that same category over his time playing for the Sabres heated rival.
5 – Dylan DeMelo, Winnipeg
And finally, we got Dylan DeMelo. While you may rather see another member of the Winnipeg Jets in the Queen City, let’s admit that DeMelo would make for an excellent consolation prize. Like Grzelcyk, DeMelo is only signed through 2023-24, but once again, the $3 million AAV is more than affordable.
It would take some convincing for the Jets to deal DeMelo, but if the Buffalo Sabres are interested and manage to pull this one off, they will have an RHD more than capable of lining up alongside Owen Power. He is also one of the more physical blueliners Buffalo can trade for, with DeMelo having hit triple-digits in blocks and hits over the past two seasons.
Related Story. Preliminary list of defensemen Sabres can target in 2023. light
Overall, any of the five names listed above are intriguing, and chances are, you could probably name a player or two that went unmentioned. Either way, look for Adams to call up several teams to try and snag a deal for either any of the above players, or someone similar, preferably one whose play complements Power’s. If he can find them, then the Blue and Gold’s chances of ending their playoff drought increase substantially.
Source: Can the Sabres add an impactful, top-four defenseman this summer? by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference; Salary cap numbers provided by Cap-Friendly)