These days, it shouldn’t even be a question for the Sabres: They need to go out and sign as many free agents as the growing salary cap allows. Sure, maybe a dream trade or two would help, but the Sabres must stop spinning their tires and add talent that will bring interest back to KeyBank Center. Interest from their own fans, that is.
And the foundation’s there, don’t get me wrong. Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker, Ryan McLeod, Rasmus Dahlin, and Owen Power will all be back. So will JJ Peterka if the Sabres don’t trade him first.
So, suppose the Blue and Gold kept all of the above players and, just for fun, also found a way to keep Bowen Byram. Now if they signed all three dream free agents listed below, and if goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen partied like it was 2023-24, maybe Sabres hockey will finally, after a 14-year layoff, see a postseason.
Aaron Ekblad, D
Let’s start with someone who will be playing for their second straight Stanley Cup. Aaron Ekblad is a name Sabres fans are familiar with, and one who would make an incredible asset on the first pairing alongside Rasmus Dahlin. While he’s no scorer, Ekblad’s a playmaker in the offensive zone and one who doesn’t mind going to bat for teammates when needed.
One downside is that Ekblad hasn’t played an 82-game season in years, and has appeared in no more than 71 regular season games in a single campaign since 2018-19. Still, Ekblad knows exactly what it’s like to be part of a team that had gone through growing pains, given his 11 seasons with the Florida Panthers.
Should he move on from Sunrise, maybe Ekblad would be cool with an opportunity to help turn around another downtrodden franchise. I mean, it worked pretty well for him with the Panthers.
Brock Boeser, F
Yep, the same Brock Boeser who I’d like to see the Sabres acquire before free agency and immediately ink him to a deal. But if they couldn’t do that and Boeser didn’t re-sign with the Vancouver Canucks, he’d immediately fit in the Blue and Gold’s top six.
Boeser’s always been a reliable scorer since his nine-game trial in Vancouver way back in 2016-17, and his moderate points production supersedes anything that we’ve seen from Jack Quinn or Zach Benson. No, he’s not quite JJ Peterka, but Boeser enjoyed a 40-goal, 73-point season in 2023-24.
Plus, much like Aaron Ekblad and the No. 3 name on this list, Boeser’s smack-dab in the middle of his prime. Should he venture to Buffalo and ink a long-term deal, the Sabres will have a viable winger for more than a few years.
Nikolaj Ehlers, F
So much trade talk surrounded Nikolaj Ehlers but he stayed in town and helped the Winnipeg Jets enjoy their best regular season to date. In 69 games played, Ehlers picked up 24 goals and 63 points in under 16 minutes per contest.
Not a bad showing, and, like Boeser, he’s no JJ Peterka, but the Sabres wouldn’t lose a step in scoring if he signed.
Plus, imagine Ehlers and Boeser on the same line, even if Peterka went elsewhere. That would be huge, especially with a tenacious Ryan McLeod lining up between them at center. And it would include Tage Thompson, Jason Zucker, and Alex Tuch on the first line.
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