It’s that time of the year again: We’ve officially entered the final stretch of the 2024-25 season, and that means those not moved at the trade deadline have been given a small extension to prove they’re worth keeping.
But for a few members of the Sabres, that ship has already sailed, and you can expect that few who survived the deadline to go elsewhere in the offseason. Not everyone listed below is on expiring contracts, and that’s what makes the speculation surrounding them interesting.
Instead, we got one pending restricted free agent, one pending unrestricted free agent, and one player with plenty of years left on his contract moving elsewhere when the season ends. Why? Well, there’s a variety of reasons you won’t see these players in a blue and gold uniform much longer.
1 - James Reimer
Devon Levi looks like he’s ready to roll and at least challenge Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to snag the No. 1 goaltender job. While his numbers at the NHL level are beyond forgettable, you can’t say the same about his play in the AHL.
So far, Levi has a 0.915 save percentage, five shutouts, a 2.29 GAA, and 20 wins. His development is finally taking a turn north, and you can expect more stellar play that will solidify his spot in the Sabres goaltending unit.
This leaves James Reimer as the odd man out, even if he’s performed well enough to sidle in as a No. 2 with a likely contender. But thanks to Levi’s overall play, Reimer will be on the move regardless of what he does from here on out.
As insurance, look for the Sabres to invest in organizational depth, a goaltender capable of providing admirable play at the NHL level should Levi show he needs more time. But from the current looks of things, Levi’s moment as a full-time NHLer will finally arrive in 2025-26.
2 - Mattias Samuelsson
While I’m aware of Mattias Samuelsson’s long-term deal, the injuries have piled up every season, and 2024-25 has been no exception. So far, he’s appeared in 47 games, and logging a lesser average total ice time hasn’t helped.
So, this is one of those stages in which the Sabres will look to cut their losses. But the challenge will be finding someone willing to take on Samuelsson’s near $4.3 million cap hit. Not a massive number, but the contract length could scare some teams.
Still, there are 31 other NHL franchises and someone will be willing to take a chance on who is still a young blueliner. There’s no way a contender will pay that much for someone whose future is on the third pairing or as a seventh defenseman, so look for a rebuilding franchise to instead take the bait here and offer Samuelsson a change of scenery.
Should Samuelsson excel in a reduced role, I wouldn’t take it too harshly if I’m the Sabres. Instead, find someone who can last for at least most of the season, and even if they provided adequate play, they would still be a cut above Samuelsson.
3 - Jack Quinn
Jack Quinn might be the biggest disappointment of this disappointing cast of players, with just 10 goals and 26 points in 60 games. Quinn’s minus-23 is by far the worst on the team, and Quinn’s lack of physicality wouldn’t bring much value on the lower lines.
Overall, expect general manager Kevyn Adams to re-sign Quinn, who is a restricted free agent, but also expect him to turn around and trade him. It’s a situation similar to what we saw with Kaapo Kakko in New York last summer, even if general manager Chris Drury didn’t move Kakko until the regular season began.
In this case, Quinn has at least shown he could perform well for stretches, even if it hasn’t been the case in 2024-25. That leads me to project that Quinn, like Samuelsson, won’t go to a contender, but a rebuilder.
At most, he’ll end up with a fringe contender like the Ottawa Senators, where he would have a familiar face in Dylan Cozens. But then again, the Seattle Kraken have also shown they don’t mind taking cast-offs.