The Buffalo Sabres are preparing for a Game 7 clash with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night, but rival NHL organizations are already eyeing players who made the club's memorable turnaround season possible once they become free agents.
For example, Joseph Rexrode of The Athletic predicted the Nashville Predators, who continue to search for a new general manager as Barry Trotz heads into retirement, may target Sabres defenseman Logan Stanley, an impending UFA.
"The Preds (with a GM still to be named later) should tread lightly in free agency, and not just because it's a rough class," Rexrode wrote. "It's time for more of a closer look at some of the young guys. But some size and nastiness on the blue line, with a guy who can grow into the next version of the Preds, doesn't sound too bad."
Buffalo acquired Stanley, along with fellow hard-nosed defender Luke Schenn, from the Winnipeg Jets ahead of this season's NHL trade deadline to provide blue-line depth.
Stanley brought some much-needed stability to the Sabres' third pair during the stretch run of the regular season, tallying five points, 15 blocked shots, 14 hits and 29 penalty minutes in 17 games, and he was serviceable in the team's first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
The 6-foot-7 defenseman's lack of skating speed and acceleration was exposed by the Habs' quicker, more skillful forward group, however, which led him to get scratched in recent games.
Buffalo will have limited financial flexibility when the offseason arrives — PuckPedia projects GM Jarmo Kekalainen is going to have just $12.9 million in salary-cap space to work with — and the first decision will be whether to re-sign winger Alex Tuch, who'd eat up a vast majority of that wiggle room.
The Sabres have four other UFAs beyond Tuch and Stanley: Schenn, Beck Malenstyn, Josh Dunne and Tanner Pearson. They must also decide how to handle three notable RFAs: Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs and Michael Kesselring.
It could lead Kekalainen to allow Stanley to hit the open market, though that wouldn't completely rule out the 27-year-old Canadian returning to Buffalo for the 2026-27 campaign.
Buffalo Sabres will soon face an intriguing blue-line question as top prospect Radim Mrtka inches closer to the NHL
The Sabres have leaned heavily on their top-four defense group of Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Bowen Byram and Owen Power throughout the 2025-26 campaign. That quartet's ability to join the rush and put pressure on opponents is an invaluable resource.
It's unlikely all four can remain in Buffalo for the long haul, though.
The Blue and Gold are facing the aforementioned financial constraints in the short term and, even with a rising salary cap, money will probably remain tight in the years ahead.
That's mostly because the Sabres have a wave of young players who are going to deserve lucrative extensions in the not-too-distant future. It'll start with Benson this summer, but the group also includes Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius and Jiri Kulich (if healthy).
Then there's Radim Mrtka, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He wrapped up a successful tenure with the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds, posting 34 points (one goal and 33 assists) in 43 games this season, and he'll probably spend 2026-27 with the AHL's Rochester Americans.
Mrtka should be ready to become a full-time member of the Sabres in the summer of 2027, which is also when Byram is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
By that point, Kekalainen will likely have to make a decision between Byram and Power. It's just hard to imagine a scenario where Buffalo has enough money to pay all of its young guns up front, promote Mrtka and keep all four of its top defenders.
Dahlin isn't going anywhere and Samuelsson's breakout season has made him one of the league's best values as he's under contract through 2029-30 with a team-friendly $4.3 million cap hit.
So, it probably comes down to either keeping Power, the top selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, or trading him away and giving that money to Byram.
Kekalainen may opt to kick that can down the road, at least until the 2027 trade deadline, to see how things develop, but a decision will have to come before next summer.
In the meantime, the Sabres will have to figure out what to do with their third defensive pairing next season. Kesselring arrived to Western New York as part of the JJ Peterka trade with glowing reviews, but an injury-plagued campaign could make him a trade candidate this offseason.
Neither Stanley nor Schenn are locks to return, it's unclear whether the organization is comfortable with Zach Metsa as an 82-game player and Conor Timmins endured an up-and-down campaign, though he provided some solid contributions on the penalty kill.
Timmins has the highest chance of the group to start next season on the third pair, but Buffalo may look outside the organization for his partner.
Regardless, while this summer will probably only feature some minor defensive tinkering, bigger blue-line decisions are on the horizon for Kekalainen and his front office.
Add us as a preferred source on Google