The Buffalo Sabres announced this week that Jarmo Kekalainen will be replacing Kevyn Adams as general manager for the team. Any team making a change like this during the season isn't easy, and sometimes it takes a few days or weeks to formulate a plan on how to build the roster.
Luckily for the Sabres, Kekalainen has been around the franchise since the summer when he joined the team as Senior Advisor. That ramp-up period should be much shorter, and the team could be looking to make some moves sooner rather than later.
When looking ahead to the next couple of weeks, these are four players that the Buffalo Sabres could be looking to make available in trade discussions.
4 players new Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen should already look to trade
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
The first one should not come as much of a surprise, as the Buffalo Sabres need to shorten the goalie rotation. They have spent the majority of the season with three goalies working through, but it forced them to sacrifice depth elsewhere on the roster. It is time to get back to the traditional two-goalie rotation, and Jarmo Kekalainen said as much during his introduction press conference.
Kekalainen on the three-goalie situation: “We're probably to a point where we're going to have to start making decisions to get down to a two-goalie rotation.” #Sabres
— Rachel Lenzi 💁🏻♀️😎💥 (@rachelmlenzi) December 16, 2025
The Sabres are going to have a little bit of time, as Colten Ellis is currently on injured reserve with a head injury suffered against the Vancouver Canucks. However, once he is ready to return, the Sabres should have a plan forward, and that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen makes the most sense to trade.
He is a veteran goalie who has been a starter in this league and is under contract for another four seasons. The AAV is not small at $4.75 million, but a player who has proven he can be a starting goalie in this league is hard to come by.
The Sabres trading Luukkonen allows them to move forward for the remainder of this season with Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis while creating a logical path forward for Devon Levi next season. It makes the most sense for everyone involved.
Bowen Byram
The Buffalo Sabres were reportedly trying to trade Bowen Byram this summer when he was a restricted free agent. They ultimately would agree to a two-year deal to bring him back, but he hasn't been able to make the same impact.
He has certainly delivered with goals, already scoring six this season and more than halfway to his career high of 11. However, he has seen decreases in Corsi For%, Goals For %, and High Danger Chances For % in 5v5 situations.
The good news for Jarmo Kekalainen is that he is still only 24 years old and is under contract through next season. There should be plenty of interest around the league of teams that believe they can help him turn his career around and the Sabres would be smart to capitalize on that.
Jordan Greenway
This next player is going to be tough to move, and frankly, won't bring back much in return. However, moving Jordan Greenway is more so to free up ice time for Tyson Kozak or Josh Dunne. Both of those players have looked good on the fourth line when given extended looks.
The reason that moving Greenway will be tough is that he is in the first year of his two-year contract extension worth $8 million. On top of the contract, the Sabres are trying to manage his minutes as he is not back to full strength after offseason surgery.
These two things are going to make it a challenge to trade Jordan Greenway and might require retaining some salary. However, the focus is to improve the roster and moving Greenway frees up a spot and ice time for some of the younger players.
Peyton Krebs
The final player is Peyton Krebs, who is currently in the final year of his contract. He has spent most of the season on the fourth line, but recently been on the top line with Tage Thompson.
Krebs is certainly better suited for the fourth line and has played well in that role. However, he struggles to provide much offensively with no goals and nine assists through 32 games.
He is a player that the Sabres don't necessarily need to trade and he can help lead that fourth line this season. The main reason to move him is that he is in the final year of his contract and unlikely to be re-signed, so getting something in return would make sense.