Darren Dregar at TSN revealed yesterday that Kevyn Adams has not received any offers close enough to making a trade before the deadline. Over the last couple of weeks, plenty of rumors have circulated that several Sabres players will be on the move before the Trade Deadline.
Now it seems like the Sabres could go without making any deals at the deadline, as it seems that there aren’t good enough offers on Dylan Cozens, Bowen Byram, and Alex Tuch. Now that is not to say there isn’t interest in these guys, but there are no offers that resemble anything close to good enough that Adams would consider making a trade.
It was also voiced by Eliotte Friedman at TSN that although teams are interested in Tuch, Adams has not put him on the trade block at all. Just six days away, the question everyone has on their mind is who the Sabres will be letting go of at the deadline.
It seems at this point, Adams also doesn’t know who will be leaving before March 7th. The offers aren’t good enough, and certain players with a lot of interest aren’t even on the trade block. Adams has also been taking calls on JJ Peterka but is not shopping him. The worry is that a team will offer sheet Peterka during the summer.
With a team that has 12+ current roster players hitting the free-agent market, Adams is going to have to work out a deal sometime soon. It would be foolish to stay neutral at the deadline when the Sabres are 13 points out of a playoff spot. They should be building toward next season, coming ready to compete, and being a playoff contender.
This may be Adams last chance to make something happen as GM. He has gotten the Sabres close to playoffs but still hasn’t fulfilled what he sought to do in his first five seasons as GM. Which is getting the Sabres back to the playoffs and making them a Stanley Cup Contender once again.
I think Adams has all the pieces in place to have a successful team year in and year out. He has one of the best minor-league systems in the NHL, having affiliations with the Rochester Americans and Jacksonville Iceman. He has put together a top-10 offense this year and brought back the winningest coach in franchise history in Lindy Ruff.
I haven’t hit the panic button just yet with Adams as GM, especially with the last few trades he has made, acquiring both Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod. However, if no moves of any sort are made by March 7th, the Sabres and their fans could be in for a rough time the rest of the year and possibly more to come.