Everyone will point to goaltending as the reason for the Buffalo Sabres' slide to seventh in the Atlantic Division this season, but that covers up another problem Jarmo Kekalainen may be more inclined to address. The Sabres currently rank 18th in the league in goals per game, a number that will need to rise if no goaltending help comes in the door. With Connor Hellebuyck now in New Jersey, it's time to pivot.
Normally, mid-season external help doesn't make much offensive impact, but that's not the case this year. While the Sabres may not be on Nikita Kucherov's or Dylan Larkin's trade lists, there is an unprotected scorer in the Western Conference who could be a massive help for the Sabres: Jason Robertson.
Robertson seemed on his way out of Dallas this past offseason, but he wouldn't agree to sign a massive contract extension with the Seattle Kraken, which ended talks of a trade to the Pacific Northwest. While the Sabres aren't always high on a player's list of preferred destinations, Buffalo may be more appealing to the high-scoring winger than Seattle.
Robertson took a one-year deal with Dallas to ensure he would play this season while he waits to either sign a long-term contract extension or get traded to a team where he'd accept a contract. The Stars cannot sign him to a new extension until January 1, which doesn't give them much time to decide whether to sign him, trade him, or hold on to him and risk losing him for nothing in the offseason. While he was a restricted free agent this past offseason, he's unrestricted in 2027.
The Stars trading one of their leading scorers would be a step in the wrong direction for a contending team, but if they are looking to maximize their assets, it might be a move made out of necessity.
Jason Robertson's offensive impact on the Sabres
The Sabres have pieces they can use to make this trade happen, and while they might be inclined to wait until the offseason to get him without losing assets, that brings a lot more teams into play. If they make a trade before the deadline, they could beat out teams that don't have the trade pieces but may have the cap space in July.
Robertson has been a 40-goal scorer three times in his career and is on pace for another 45-goal season this year after his Tuesday night hat trick. Tage Thompson is also a three-time 40-goal scorer and is on pace to do it again this season, but before that, the last 40-goal scorer for the Sabres was Thomas Vanek in 2008-09. These types of players don't often become available to Buffalo.
The Stars' winger doesn't seem like the type of player who is going to chase playing with one of the league's usual destinations and doesn't have any of that Team USA connection that seems to be trending toward the same four or five teams. While the Sabres have not been directly tied to Robertson, Kekalainen can be in talks for a secret blockbuster. After seeing their success last season, why wouldn't Robertson choose to help a team that was a goal away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Final?
Add us as a preferred source on Google