Ranking the top 5 moves of the Buffalo Sabres 2023 offseason (so far)
The Buffalo Sabres have had an interesting offseason, and they appear to be poised to take the next step thanks to making a few key transactions.
The Buffalo Sabres didn’t make any blockbuster moves yet in the 2023 offseason, but they made necessary ones that turned a decent team in 2022-23 into a better one for 2023-24. While not everyone will like the minimalistic approach, or even some of the moves I ranked below, general manager Kevyn Adams has always understood one aspect of building a team: Reality is no NHL video game, and it shows in most of the following transactions.
So which moves were the best of the Sabres 2023 offseason so far? Keep reading for a quick rundown, where we are counting down to what is a surprising Number One.
Buffalo Sabres: 5 best moves of 2023 offseason
5 – Maintaining stable leadership
Re-signing Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons were going to be polarizing moves, especially with the aging Okposo. But when you’re the projected third-youngest team in the NHL for the 2023-24 season, you need to hang onto your leaders and let them play either on the fourth line or even on a “pitch count.”
Besides, Okposo and Girgensons made up a remarkable fourth line this past season with center Peyton Krebs, who was in his first full year with Buffalo. They most likely won’t stick around much longer, but their presence this season was necessary, even if it’s not flashy.
4 – Drafting Zach Benson
I’ve said it so many times: I was beyond convinced that Zach Benson, at the latest, would be gone by the tenth pick. And when he was available at 13th overall, there was no way Kevyn Adams was taking anyone else.
What makes this pick so intriguing isn’t the fact that Benson will ultimately star for the Sabres, it’s that Buffalo can take their time with him. At this point, there is so much talent on the roster itself that there is no rush to thrust Benson into the lineup. If he needs, say, three years to develop before making his NHL debut, he’s in such a position with the Sabres.
3 – Signing Erik Johnson
While it’s far-fetched to believe all three of them will be pivotal pieces to the Buffalo Sabres lineup, either Ryan Johnson, Nikita Novikov, or Vsevolod Komarov, maybe two of them, will be future blueliners for the Blue and Gold. It was something I wanted Kevyn Adams to realize, and by signing the 35-year-old Erik Johnson as a stopgap tells me the general manager made this signing to keep the pipeline open for his prospects.
Johnson, who has immense experience and leadership qualities, is also the “Kyle Okposo-like” figure I was hoping to see Buffalo bring in to provide such a role to the defensive rotation. Even if Johnson physically isn’t what he was, his presence alone will pay dividends.
2 – Signing Connor Clifton
Connor Clifton is just 28, so he fits into the Blue and Gold’s plan for at least three seasons, and perhaps even beyond. Clifton is the big hitter who could also play top four minutes that the Sabres needed, and to top things off, he came from a division rival.
While I understand the concern that head coach Jim Montgomery sat Clifton during the playoffs, I’m not losing any sleep over it. Clifton will bring more of an edge to Buffalo that they haven’t had in a while, and he’s also playing alongside one of the fastest-rising blueliners in hockey.
1 – Abstaining from making a blockbuster trade for a goaltender
That’s right, the Buffalo Sabres best move of the 2023 offseason so far involved not making a move at this point. There were many pulling for a potential trade for Connor Hellebuyck or John Gibson, but both came with unnecessary risks at the potential expense of high end draft picks and prospects.
Hellebuyck would have cost a fortune, and there was no guarantee he would stick around following a single season in Buffalo had such a trade occurred unless he re-signed. But that would have gotten in the way of the Sabres long-term plans if they planned on keeping more from their young nucleus. Then there was Gibson, who at this point, I’m still unsure what redeeming qualities he has following four average to below-average seasons in Anaheim.
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While I didn’t believe Adams would make such a trade, it would have been rash to rule out the possibility. But by going with presumably Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in 2023-24, it gives a young duo a fair chance to be the long-term answer in the net. And it’s something we were never going to find out had Adams made such a rash trade.