Jarmo Kekalainen has been busy over the last week ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft as he has completed three trades over that time period. It began with Michael Kesselring and their original first-round pick (27th overall) to the San Jose Sharks for the 20th overall pick.
On Tuesday night, the Sabres made a huge blockbuster trade that sent Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks for the fourth overall pick, a second-round pick, and Louis Crevier. Then on Wednesday, he completed a sign-and-trade with the Washington Capitals for Alex Tuch that brought back a third-round pick and the rights to David Kampf.
However, the Sabres general manager doesn't seem to be done yet, as he now has some holes with the departure of Tuch and Byram that need to be addressed. The good news is that he can go in several different directions in trying to improve the roster, and these are five trade ideas that could make sense.
As mentioned, all options should be on the table and that includes even trading up in the first round to second overall. In that scenario, the Sabres should be targeting Ivar Stenberg, who is definitely one of the Top 2 prospects alongside Gavin McKenna and is considered potentially as good as McKenna.
The Swedish forward is not the biggest player at 6'0" and 181 pounds, but has been very productive on the international stage. Recently, in the IIHF World Championships, Stenberg had four goals and four assists in eight games.
He may not be able to step in immediately as a Top 6 forward, but he certainly could begin the season with the Buffalo Sabres and make the jump to the NHL right away. The Sabres are not going to have many chances to select a player of his caliber, and it could make sense to make the jump up now.
It is a similar argument to moving up to number two in that it is rare that a player of Jason Robertson's caliber, at this point in his career, becomes available. The Sabres are going to have to not only make an aggressive trade offer but be comfortable signing Robertson to a new contract that is probably eight-years with an AAV around $14 million.
Right now, that creates a challenge as they have about $13.8 million in cap space after extending Zach Benson. The Sabres need to send some salary back in this trade, but it can't be too much because the Stars don't have much room either, so a player like Jack Quinn makes sense. He is a young player who is coming off a 20-goal season and could be a great fit for the Stars on their third line.
A big part of the trade is moving both first-round picks, which might seem like a lot, but in reality, Robertson probably would command three first-round picks in a trade. However, the fourth overall pick is extremely valuable and should carry the value of two future first-round picks.
The Buffalo Sabres have been connected a lot to Winnipeg Jets' goalie Connor Hellebuyck. While Hellebuyck has been considered the best goalie in the league at times in his career, he may not bring back the biggest return that fans might expect.
He is coming off a down year, and historically, goalies just don't generate much in trades, and Frank Seravalli recently reported the Hurricanes offered the Jets a first-round pick and RFA Alexander Nikishin. He didn't report whether it was this year's first-round pick, but if that is the case, it would be 31st overall.
The Sabres certainly could offer something comparable, starting with the 20th overall pick, and could send Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen back to Winnipeg to give them a starting goalie to replace Hellebuyck. If the Sabres were to trade for Hellebuyck, they almost certainly would be moving Luukkonen, whether this trade or a separate trade, because they need the cap space to add Hellebuyck and still have room to operate in free agency.
Another potential trade would be the Sabres sending the fourth overall pick for Hellebuyck and the eighth, but this is a trade that makes more sense from Buffalo's perspective while still giving a competitive offer to Winnipeg.
According to David Pagnotta, the Buffalo Sabres have recently talked to the New York Rangers about center Vincent Trocheck. He reported that the Rangers are looking for a first-round pick and prospect, and that is exactly the trade package the Sabres should offer with their 20th overall pick and center Anton Wahlberg.
Wahlberg was a second-round pick by the Sabres in the 2023 NHL Draft and has spent the past two seasons with the Rochester Americans. Over those two seasons, he has 67 points in 131 games.
However, this is a move that doesn't seemingly make sense for the Sabres as they have great depth at center with Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod, Sam Carrick, and their young trio of centers (Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, and Konsta Helenius). They certainly could move some of their younger players to wing, but it feels like the 20th overall pick can be better utilized in some of these other trades.
Matthew Knies is one of the more talked-about players leading up to the NHL Draft, as he is seemingly in rumors with several teams around the league. The Buffalo Sabres appear to be one of them, but the challenge here is that they have to avoid the temptation to include the fourth overall pick.
This trade certainly includes a lot with two first-round picks, including the 20th overall this year, as well as center Ryan McLeod and winger Jack Quinn. However, the Maple Leafs need a lot of pieces to get back to being competitive, and if they can get two middle-six forwards and two first-round picks, they are probably going to consider it.
For the Sabres, Knies steps in as the immediate replacement for Alex Tuch and gives the Sabres a top forward that allows them to move Tage Thompson back to center on the top line or have Knies slot in on the second line.
Knies is a physical, fast forward that can replace a lot of what they lost with the departure of Alex Tuch, and he is only 23 years old.
Regardless of the direction the Buffalo Sabres go, one thing is clear and that is they have given themselves several options heading into the NHL Draft on Friday night.
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