On Friday, the Buffalo Sabres and the rest of the NHL watched as Connor Hellebuyck was traded to the New Jersey Devils. It was one player that Jarmo Kekalainen seemingly had been chasing for months but couldn't get the deal done.
This has been a frustrating trend for the Sabres' general manager who has reportedly gotten close on a few trades during the early part of his tenure in the role. At the trade deadline last season, he was trying to get a Robert Thomas trade done but it wasn't meant to be. He then had a trade agreed to with the Blues for defenseman Colton Parayko but the player decided he didn't want to waive his no-trade clause.
Even though Kekalainen hasn't been able to get a deal done yet, doesn't mean he won't or is going to stop. The Sabres are in a position where they should be aggressive and there are a few players out there that could be great additions to this roster.
Robert Thomas
The first player is one that they have already shown interest in and it is worth revisiting trade discussions with the St. Louis Blues. Robert Thomas is exactly the top line center the Sabres could use and would allow them to move Tage Thompson to the wing.
He is under contract for four seasons after this one and is only 27 years old, so he has plenty of great hockey ahead of him. Over the past three seasons, Thomas has averaged over a point per game, and this season he has six points in 10 games.
For the Blues, they are off to a 5-5-1 start to the season and probably not ready to give up on the season. However, they are not going to be competing for a Stanley Cup this season and might be willing to move Thomas for future pieces and assets. If that moment does come, the Buffalo Sabres should be ready to make an aggressive offer.
Ryan O'Reilly
While Robert Thomas would be a long-term addition, if the Sabres are looking for someone to help right now and this season, then bringing back Ryan O'Reilly would make a lot of sense.
The Sabres traded O'Reilly after the 2017-18 season, and he has had a lot of success after leaving Buffalo by winning a Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy with the Blues, and he recently spent the past three seasons with the Nashville Predators.
While he is 35 years old, he is still playing great hockey with 74 points in 81 games last season and seven points already this season in nine games. He would also be an excellent addition in the faceoff circle with a career win percentage of 55.6%.
O'Reilly is currently in the final year of his contract, so this would strictly be a rental player, but adding the veteran experience could be great for the locker room.
Jake DeBrusk
The Buffalo Sabres already have a lot of centers and may not want to add another one to the mix. If they want to add a wing, then Vancouver Canuck's Jake DeBrusk could be a great trade target for Jarmo Kekalainen.
DeBrusk is a consistent 20-goal scorer with 40 or more points in each of the past five seasons between the Canucks and Boston Bruins. On Sunday, the Canucks were last in the NHL in points with only five through 12 games and might be the first team to aggressively start moving players to build for the future.
DeBrusk probably would be a better fit in the middle six but one area he could really help this team is on the power play. The past two seasons, he has had a total of 33 goals over that time frame and it would make a lot of sense for the Sabres to find a player who can help them in this part of their game.
Filip Gustavsson
After the Buffalo Sabres missed out on Connor Hellebuyck, it is likely that they might still be considering making a trade to upgrade the position. However, with Alex Lyon hopefully returning in the near future, it may not be as big a priority.
One player who could be on their radar, depending on how the goalies on the roster play in the coming weeks and months, is Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson. He is currently on injured reserve after offseason hip surgery but is expected to be back sometime around early November.
When healthy, Gustavsson is an excellent goalie who has had a save percentage over .900 and a goals against average around 2.6 the past two seasons. For now, the Sabres are going to go with what they have at the position but if they continue to struggle, especially after Lyon is back, he is a goalie that they could pursue.
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