The Buffalo Sabres acquired defenseman Logan Stanley ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline because he represented cost-effective depth for the club's third defense pair.
It sounds like trying to keep Stanley would be require a far greater financial investment than his current $1.25 million salary, though.
Chris Johnston of The Athletic ranked the Sabres blueliner as the 14th-best unrestricted free agent set to hit the open market this summer, and delivered a jaw-dropping potential contract value.
"Unafraid to drop his gloves to defend teammates, and with a reach that's basically unmatched across the league, Stanley is in position to cash in this summer with a contract that could be worth $25 million or more," Johnston wrote Friday.
Even with a rising salary cap, paying the 6-foot-7 defender something like $5 million annually on a five-year contract seems risky.
Stanley went on a scoring binge early this season, scoring nine goals in 59 appearances for the Winnipeg Jets. He's yet to score in 23 games for the Sabres, however, and he'd never scored more than one goal in a season across his first five years with the Jets.
So, he's unlikely to replicate this year's offensive success, and his underlying defensive numbers are nothing special. He ranks 184th out of 295 NHL defensemen (min. 500 minutes) in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.67), per Natural Stat Trick.
Stanley does carry some value as a physical presence on the bottom pair and he's been solid for Buffalo on the penalty kill in the playoffs, but a $25 million contract seems rich for his on-ice contributions.
In addition, the Sabres are facing a cap crunch this offseason with just $13.2 million to spend (via PuckPedia) and several other free agents, including Alex Tuch (UFA), Zach Benson (RFA), Peyton Krebs (RFA) and Beck Malenstyn (UFA), who will be higher priorities for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
Stanley would likely have to accept a contract below Johnston's projection to remain in Buffalo.
Buffalo Sabres' Alex Tuch ranked No. 3 on The Athletic's 2026 NHL free-agent big board
The Tuch decision will be one of the defining moments of Kekalainen's tenure leading Buffalo's front office, a role he inherited from Kevyn Adams in December.
On one hand, the 29-year-old power forward is a Syracuse native who grew up rooting for the Sabres and took a special sense of pride helping the long-suffering franchise finally turn things around.
He's also been incredibly productive, scoring 309 points (139 goals and 170 assists) in 360 games since being acquired in the blockbuster Jack Eichel trade with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021. He's added seven points in seven outings so far during the current playoff run.
Yet, Tuch has so far given no indication he's willing to budge from his asking price, with reports pegging that number around $10.5 million since last summer. Add in strong postseason performance, and that's a real chance the asking price will increase rather than decrease.
Kekalainen must decide which option represents a greater risk: losing a foundational pillar of the roster or paying Tuch a double-digit AAV into his late-30s, when there's little chance his on-ice value will match that high price tag.
"The Buffalo Sabres have indicated a willingness to extend Tuch and will almost certainly take another run at signing him after the playoffs," Johnston wrote while putting Tuch behind only Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh and Golden Knights blueliner Rasmus Andersson in his UFA rankings.
Ultimately, it's probably best for the Sabres to keep Tuch and then navigate the financial consequences, which will begin immediately given their limited cap space this summer.
Losing him would leave a major void at a time when there's a limited margin for error in the highly competitive Atlantic Division.
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