The Buffalo Sabres have dealt with an endless stream of key injuries since the start of training camp, with do-it-all forward Zach Benson being the latest vital contributor to join the list. It could lead general manager Kevyn Adams to do an early survey of the NHL trade market.
Perhaps the biggest area of need is center with Josh Norris out indefinitely and head coach Lindy Ruff hesitant to shift superstar Tage Thompson back to the middle. Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report believes that brings the Boston Bruins' Pavel Zacha into play for Buffalo, though there's a caveat.
"Another injury to Josh Norris has left the Sabres in need of a reliable second-line center," Richardson wrote. "Management is under pressure to make the playoffs and could become buyers in the trade market. However, Zacha's no-trade clause likely takes them out of the running."
No-movement clauses have been the bane of Buffalo front office's existence in recent years — and it's impossible to blame players for not wanting to join a franchise riding a 14-year playoff drought — but could the team's recent run of improved play get players to start changing their minds?
Adams will hope so as he looks to upgrade a roster that could use another playmaker if it's going to seriously compete for a postseason berth in the coming months.
Pavel Zacha is a perfect fit for the Buffalo Sabres, but would the Boston Bruins trade him in the division?
The Sabres have already received an up-close look at Zacha's game-changing impact during the early stages of the 2025-26 season.
He scored the opening goal in Boston's 3-1 win over Buffalo on Oct. 11. Then he tallied a power-play assist in the B's 4-3 overtime victory against the Blue and Gold on Oct. 30.
Zacha is second on the Bruins in scoring this season with 12 points in 14 games, and his 10 assists are tied for the NHL's 14th-highest total.
The 28-year-old Czech Republic native has been a highly reliable producer since joining Boston ahead of the 2022-23 season. He's played 256 out of a possible 260 games, and he's recorded 175 points (58 goals and 117 assists) over that span.
He'd represent an ideal fit on the Sabres' top line in the absence of Norris, whose extensive injury history makes it tough to rely on him as a core lineup piece.
Buffalo needs more playmakers. It features a fair share of goal scorers, led by Tage Thompson, and an impressive number of two-way forwards, including Alex Tuch and Josh Doan, but the number of play-creators is lacking, especially when Benson is sidelined.
The Bruins, who are in a race with the Sabres to escape the bottom of the Atlantic Division, probably would prefer to move him elsewhere if a trade eventually does happen, though.
It's a situation where Adams should at least check in with Boston counterpart Don Sweeney to see whether a deal is feasible, though. The on-ice fit is too good to ignore.
In the bigger picture, the Sabres are keeping pace in the highly competitive Eastern Conference, but it still feels like the roster is an impact player or two short of truly turning a corner in their seemingly never-ending rebuilding process.
Adams should be aggressive trying to find those missing pieces once the trade market heats up.