Major network lists one surprise trade candidate for Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres are dealing with an overflow of players on their roster, so you can expect general manager Kevyn Adams to make some trades.

You will see the Buffalo Sabres making a few trades in 2023 because when you look at their current roster, they don’t have much of a choice. At this point, Buffalo needs to give up at least two defensemen, so it should be no surprise that Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic listed the likes of Henri Jokiharju, Jacob Bryson, and Riley Stillman as potential candidates.

Other names listed included Victor Olofsson, Eric Comrie, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, with all of the above also coming as no surprise, even Luukkonen, who would be the odd man out if Adams traded for a goaltender. But there was one name Fairburn listed that made me do a double take, and that was Ilya Lyubushkin. Below, you’ll find a snippet of Fairburn’s reasoning:

“Lyubushkin’s experience, penalty killing and physical style of play were valuable traits on a Buffalo blue line that lacked those a year ago. But Johnson and Clifton will bring those attributes to the table, so Lyubushkin is more expendable.” – via The Athletic

Would the Buffalo Sabres seriously consider trading Ilya Lyubushkin?

Still though, Lyubushkin performed better than Jokiharju and Stillman when he was healthy. Further, if the Sabres are looking to get some respectable value from these prospective trades, then it won’t come from Lyubushkin, who is 29 and has solidified himself in the league as nothing more than a bottom pairing/rotational piece.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Jokiharju could still develop into a respectable blueliner if he’s put into the right situation, and teams would naturally see more value in the former first round pick. Fairburn also stressed this point in their article by saying:

“That said, he may not be as valuable a trade commodity as Jokiharju. He also serves as a useful rotational defenseman on the bottom pair.” – via The Athletic

General managers won’t be inquiring about Lyubushkin unless they are looking for a rather physical rotational piece that they can snag for a cheap price. But even then, why go with a middle-aged player in hockey years with a limited ceiling if someone like Jokiharju, even through his struggles this past season, boasts more potential?

So would the Buffalo Sabres be willing to trade Ilya Lyubushkin? You can never say never regarding anything in professional sports, and it’s always wise to expect what you otherwise wouldn’t, so I wouldn’t completely rule out a Lyubushkin trade.

But Lyubushkin is an edgy, physical rotational piece whose hitter’s mentality is something the Blue and Gold can use for another year. Meanwhile, Jokiharju’s playing style doesn’t carry the same approach, and it could be yet another reason Buffalo should rather trade the younger blueliner instead of moving Lyubushkin.

Source: Buffalo Sabres trade candidates: 7 players who could be moved before the season by Matthew Fairburn, TheAthletic.com