The Buffalo Sabres didn't make any moves before the roster freeze last week ahead of the Olympics and now is the time for front offices to regroup and formulate a plan to hit the ground running once the freeze has been lifted. One of the players that the Buffalo Sabres should be interested in calling is the LA Kings, who recently made it clear that forward Warren Foegele is very much available.
The big move last week across the league was the Kings trading for Artemi Panarin, and after the move was announced, Kings' general manager Ken Holland was on NHL on TNT and asked if he expects to make any more trades after the roster freeze. It was notable that he not only said they would but singled out Warren Foegele as a player who could potentially be on the move.
"We got a lot of forwards now, obviously. You know Warren Foegele had a great year last year and he has been out of the lineup the last couple of games and is out again tonight so we gotta work the phones here," Holland said.
Warren Foegele would be a perfect fit for the Buffalo Sabres third line
While fans are probably hoping for a big splash, the Sabres might find themselves needing to make a few smaller deals to help improve the roster and their playoff chances. A player like Warren Foegele would fall into that category and would be a solid veteran to add on their third line.
Foegele is coming off a career-year where he had 24 goals and 22 assists with the Kings and was second on the team in 5v5 goals with 23. This season has been a bit of a different story as he has had only eight points in 43 games, but he has battled some injuries and missed a few games.
However, even when he is on the ice, he is not getting the same offensive chances as shifts that start in the offensive zone have dropped a percentage point from last season to 10.5%, and shifts starting in the defensive zone have jumped over three percentage points to 12.6%, according to MoneyPuck.
For the Sabres, they are expected to get players like Zach Benson and Josh Norris back after the Olympic break. Even with the return of these players, they could use some help solidifying the bottom six of their forward group.
A player like Foegele, who does a good job on the forecheck and keeps pucks in the offensive zone, would be a great fit on a line with Josh Norris and Jack Quinn. When considering that Foegele's contract runs through next year with an AAV of $3.5, this is a move that could help beyond this season at a reasonable salary.
It could also be an instance where the Kings are desperate to move him that could retain some salary and make this type of trade that much more enticing for the Buffalo Sabres. This type of trade has the chance to be one of those low-risk, high-reward trades that, when looking back on the season, made a huge impact.