When I say ‘speculative,’ I mean it. This article is purely speculative, meaning I’m not endorsing or thinking that the Sabres move any of the following players. All I’m saying is that yes, despite their shortcomings, even teams like the Blue and Gold possess a lot of starpower, and one that could yield dynamic returns.
So, who could the Sabres move elsewhere, to whom, and for what, exactly? Note that I’m also not making any actual trade proposals, but I’m instead merely talking about who could see any of the following trio there for the taking should general manager Kevyn Adams put them on the trade block.
Oh, and one more side note: While I couldn’t see Adams doing that with any of the players listed, nor would I endorse it, we can’t deny that they would yield a ransom.
Tage Thompson
If anyone’s looking for a top-six scorer, Tage Thompson would be a godsend. Even through the team’s inconsistencies, Tage has shown resilience with 22 goals, a 16.8 shooting percentage, and he’s pitched in 40 points in 43 contests prior to Saturday’s slate.
Any team whose offensive firepower is lacking one of the game’s most aggressive snipers would love to make a deal with the Sabres. Think someone like the rival Boston Bruins, or even the Vancouver Canucks, especially if a potential trade with Vancouver involved Elias Pettersson.
Trading someone like Tage for prospects wouldn’t make much sense at this point unless the Sabres thinned their current pool a little. Instead, trading him for more younger, high-potential talent would be the best bet. Either those primed for a spot on an NHL roster, or who are already on one.
Rasmus Dahlin
Spoiler Alert: The Sabres aren’t trading their captain for the second year in a row. But there’s no denying Rasmus Dahlin would bring in more than a ransom if he were traded. Unlike Tage, he’d go to a more offensive-oriented team with problems at the blue line.
One team on the shortlist? Why not the underrated Columbus Blue Jackets, who are having one of the most inspiring seasons of the league’s 32 teams? Columbus still lacks a potential game-changer at the blue line, and Dahlin would remedy that.
The New York Rangers are another team that comes to mind here, and they could flip a couple of underperforming blueliners to Buffalo in return, among other assets. But again, it’s far more likely to see someone like Bowen Byram go before the Sabres would even remotely consider trading Dahlin, but that’s not the point of this exercise.
Alex Tuch
Part of me thinks Alex Tuch’s best role in the NHL is in the middle-six, and that he’s miscast at the moment. If there’s anyone on this list who’d most likely see themselves getting moved elsewhere, it’s Tuch, considering this is the second season in a row in which he’s underperformed.
In 48 games, Tuch has 34 points, 15 goals, and a 14.2 shooting percentage. No, that’s not bad, but they’re not top-six numbers on some of the league’s better teams. With 71 blocks and 38 hits, Tuch has more of a physical edge, so a team looking to add a little more edginess to their lineup and someone who has scoring potential would like Tuch.
For me, it’s the surprising Calgary Flames. They’ve proven to be a good hockey team, but when you look at their body of work, they’re more of an overachieving bunch than a unit that’s going to go far in the playoffs. And that said, they may overpay at this point, considering the circumstances.