The Buffalo Sabres have yet to sign an NHL free agent this summer, and the latest miss was Patrick Kane, who elected to go back to Chicago instead of joining his hometown team. However, it is tough to blame either the Sabres or Kane, as the Blackhawks' contract offer of two-years with an AAV of $8 million was not as high as Jarmo Kekalainen was willing to go.
At this point in the offseason, there are no more sure things in free agency. The good news is that usually means they won't command big contracts and probably look at a one or two-year deal but they have more questions than answers.
When looking at the players still available, these are three that the Buffalo Sabres should be interested in signing after losing Patrick Kane.
Vladimir Tarasenko
Vladimir Tarasenko had a bounce-back season in Minnesota last year as he had 23 goals and 24 assists with another five points in 11 playoff games for the Wild. At 35 years old, Tarasenko is towards the end of his career, but he showed that when on a good team, he can be a valuable contributor.
One area that really stood out last season was on the power play, as he had five power-play goals (most since 2021-22) and eight assists. The Sabres could certainly use some help here, as they were one of the worst power-play teams in the NHL and struggled especially in the playoffs.
Tarasenko is a player with Stanley Cup experience, and adding a veteran like him for the bottom-six could make a lot of sense for the Sabres.
Michael Bunting
In each of the past three seasons, Michael Bunting has been traded and has played for four teams over that stretch. This past season, he began with the Nashville Predators before being traded before the trade deadline to the Dallas Stars.
Bunting wasn't particularly productive as he had only three points in 14 games between the regular season and the playoffs. However, he is the type of agitator that teams love to have as he has no problem getting in front of the net or chasing down pucks on the forecheck.
The Sabres right now have their fourth line pretty well set with Beck Malenstyn, Sam Carrick, and Peyton Krebs, but adding Bunting would give them another option if they wanted to move Krebs around the lineup.
Patrik Laine
Among the players on this list, Patrik Laine might be the one with the lowest risk but the highest upside. If there is a player that the Sabres want to add that could replace Alex Tuch's scoring, Laine might be their best chance.
Laine has played 10 seasons in the NHL after being the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and in seven of those seasons had 20 or more goals. However, injuries have derailed his career as he played in five games last season and only 75 total over the past three.
The fact that he only played five games, though, is one of the reasons the Sabres might be interested. Since he played fewer than 10 games last season, he is eligible to sign a bonus-laden contract, which makes him a low-risk option.
Jarmo Kekalainen also knows Laine well, as he traded for him when he was the Columbus Blue Jackets general manager. He would have a good understanding of whether Laine would be a good fit for this team or not.
Right now the Sabres have 15 forwards under contract so they might not even have room to add another forward to their roster. However, if they do decide there is an opportunity, then one of these three players would make a lot of sense.
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