The NHL trade market is seemingly heating up a little earlier than usual this season as teams, especially those in the loaded Eastern Conference, feel pressure to avoid falling too far behind the standings.
Both the Buffalo Sabres (4-4-2) and Columbus Blue Jackets (3-5-0) are below the playoff cut line in the early going, and each club is already finding itself in the rumor mill.
A Sabres goalie shake up has been rumored — potentially with Connor Hellebuyck arriving from the Winnipeg Jets and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen departing the organization amid possible interest from the New York Rangers — and now the Blue Jackets are joining the trade buzz.
"Some teams calling with interest on winger Dmitri Voronkov. Not saying he will be traded for sure but CBJ listening," TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported Thursday.
Voronkov has spent his entire career in Columbus. Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who led the Jackets' front office from 2013 through 2024, selected the 6-foot-5 winger in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft and signed him to an entry-level contract in 2023.
The 26-year-old Russian winger has recorded 115 points (58 goals and 57 assists) in 217 appearances across four seasons with Columbus. He's tallied no goals and two assists through six games in 2026-27.
He's scored at least six power-play goals in each of the past three years. That could be of particular interest to the Sabres, who've struggled mightily with the man advantage this season. It's a longstanding issue to which the coaching staff has been short on solutions since Lindy Ruff returned in 2024.
Voronkov carries a $4.175 million salary-cap hit in the final season of his contract. He's scheduled to become a restricted free agent next summer.
Dmitri Voronkov wouldn't move the needle for the Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres have yet to start clicking on all cylinders offensively through 10 games. They rank 22nd in goals scored per 60 minutes (2.74), a sharp decline from last season (fifth at 3.42).
It's not from a lack of talent. In fact, the Blue and Gold have been skating at least one bona fide top-nine forward, most recently Ryan McLeod, on the fourth line lately due to an overcrowded forward group.
Buffalo just hasn't been able to finish consistently. It's scored 4.0 goals below expected, according to MoneyPuck. That, combined with lackluster goaltending from UPL, is why the club owns a 43.8% goals share despite a 50% expected goal share.
Voronkov, despite a 20-goal season on his résumé and some power-play acumen, wouldn't shift the team's offensive outlook in a meaningful way.
The left-shot forward would likely spend most of his time in the bottom six and his hypothetical arrival would probably push one of the Sabres' waiver-eligible forwards (Konsta Helenius?) to the AHL's Rochester Americans. It's not a worthwhile trade off.
If Kekalainen is going to make a trade in the coming weeks, his focus should be acquiring either a proven goaltender like Hellebuyck or a first-line center such as Dylan Larkin. Buffalo doesn't really have space on the fringes, but it could sure use a possible game-changer.
Using trade assets on a more modest contributor like Voronkov won't move the Sabres closer to their ultimate goal, even if he's capable of providing a small boost on special teams.
While Kekalainen was never afraid to make a bold move during his time in Columbus, he's yet to take that first big swing, at least in terms of a win-now acquisition, since taking over the reins in Buffalo.
It feels like now's the time for him to ramp up those high-profile pursuits.
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