For the first time in a long time, the Buffalo Sabres are going to be involved in the trade deadline, but likely as buyers. This is a time they could be looking to add veterans and depth to their roster to hopefully help them make a run, not only to a playoff spot but deep into the playoffs.
When looking at players who could be available around the league, there are a few players who, at one time, were playing for the Buffalo Sabres. Does it make sense for the Sabres to bring any of these players back? Let's look at the cases for four former players.
Evander Kane
The Vancouver Canucks season has not gone the way they hoped, and they are clearly going to be sellers leading up to the Trade Deadline. One of the players that could be on the move is former Sabres forward Evander Kane, as David Pagnotta recently reported that trade talks are continuing and Vancouver is willing to retain some of the salary.
Kane played two and a half seasons in Buffalo, starting with the 2015-16 season, before he was traded at the trade deadline of the 2017-18 season to the San Jose Sharks. It was not an ideal run in Buffalo with numerous off-the-ice incidents during this time period.
This is Kane's first season in Vancouver after the Edmonton Oilers traded him this past summer as they needed to open up cap space. Through 54 games, Kane has nine goals and 16 assists, but he should not be a player the Buffalo Sabres look to bring back, as he really doesn't bring much to the lineup as it currently stands.
Tyler Myers
If the Buffalo Sabres are looking to make a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, then defenseman Tyler Myers might be the one they target. He is another player who has been rumored to be available, and recently, Jeff Marek mentioned the New York Islanders as a potential landing spot.
He was the 12th overall pick by Buffalo in the 2008 NHL Draft and played six seasons with the Sabres before traded to the Winnipeg Jets in the trade that brought Evander Kane to Buffalo.
Myers was a dependable defenseman during his time in Buffalo and has continued to be a productive player in his 17-year career. He also has plenty of playoff experience with 61 career playoff games and was actually on the roster the last time the Sabres made the playoffs back in 2011.
Myers has a very reasonable contract with an AAV of $3 million while being under contract through next season. However, if the Sabres want to trade for Myers, he will have to waive his no-movement clause to make a move happen.
Rasmus Ristolainen
If the Sabres want to add depth to their blueline with a former player and Tyler Myers won't waive his no-movement clause, Rasmus Ristolainen could be an option. Recently, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic put together his trade tiers and had Ristolainen under the tier "Likeliest to get traded, but may be a hard sell."
One place that might make some sense would be the Buffalo Sabres, where he played eight seasons in Buffalo after being the eighth overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. However, spent the past five seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers after he was traded during the 2021 offseason by Buffalo.
The concern with Ristolainen is that he struggles to stay healthy and has not played a full 82-game season since the 2015-16 season with the Sabres. He has been limited to 17 games this season after suffering a torn triceps towards the end of last season, which has lingered into this season.
If the Flyers consider retaining some salary, then it is a move that might make sense for the Sabres to add a veteran to their blueline.
Ryan O'Reilly
The Nashville Predators started off the season poorly, and it would make sense for them to consider trading some of their older veterans, like Ryan O'Reilly. That plan might have changed somewhat as the Predators have been better as of late, but are still four points outside a Wild Card in the Western Conference.
One player who could be on the move is Ryan O'Reilly, who is in his third season with the Predators. However, he also knows the Buffalo Sabres well as he spent three seasons in Western New York from 2015 through 2018 before being traded to the St. Louis Blues.
While the Sabres did get Tage Thompson in return in that trade, O'Reilly went on to have immediate success as he won the Selke Trophy for his performance in the regular season. However, he wasn't done there as he added the Conn Smythe Trophy as he helped the Blues win a Stanley Cup in his first season with them.
Even at 34 years old, Reilly is still playing well with 51 points in 54 games this season and would make an impact on the Sabres. It could give the Sabres depth at center and more options with their lines, as it could allow Thompson to move back to wing if they wanted to go that direction.
It would likely be a long shot for the Buffalo Sabres to make a trade, but it wouldn't be surprising to see O'Reilly be traded to a Stanley Cup contender, especially after some comments by general manager Barry Trotz at some point this season, before the trade deadline.