While there have been plenty of rumors, there has yet to be a significant trade around the NHL in January. This is probably due to the parity across the league with so many teams still in, but that might change here in the near future as the New York Rangers signal they are ready to build for the future, and the Buffalo Sabres should not be wasting time to pick up the phone.
On Friday, the New York Rangers released a letter from Chris Drury to the fans with the message that the team is looking to "retool". While it is not a clear indication that they are giving up on the season, it certainly sounds like they are building for the future and are making determinations on which of those players are part of that future.
Artemi Panarin is the obvious trade target for the Buffalo Sabres
One of the players that doesn't appear to be in the plans is Artemi Panarin, and it was reported by Elliotte Friedman that the Rangers would not be offering a new contract. Panarin is set to be a free agent after this season, so he is a player who almost certainly will be on the move.
While the Sabres as a franchise don't have a connection to Panarin, their new general manager, Jarmo Kekalainen, knows him well from their time together in Columbus. Kekalainen, then general manager of the Blue Jackets, would trade for Panarin from the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017 and in two seasons had 169 points in 160 games.
The big question that the Sabres would have to answer is whether or not they would want to sign him to an extension. They likely won't have the cap space to with players like Alex Tuch being an unrestricted free agent and Zach Benson and Josh Doan being a restricted free agent after the season.
If an extension isn't likely, the Sabres need to decide what they are willing to trade for a player that is a rental. With Panarin being a highly sought-after trade target, the Sabres probably won't have the most attractive trade offer compared to other teams.
Several other New York Rangers that could make sense for the Buffalo Sabres to try to trade for
While Panarin is the obvious trade target, it sounds like the Rangers are going to be evaluating everyone on the roster. There are several others that could be a big help for the Sabres as they push towards trying to make the playoffs.
One player is Alexis Lafreniere, the former first overall pick, who has fallen out of favor in New York and been moved down the lineup. He hasn't lived up to expectations by any means, and one of the reasons why he could be available, but he has shown enough that he realistically could be around a 50-point player and a nice complement to Tage Thompson and Josh Doan.
If the Rangers are building towards the future, would a player like Vincent Trocheck be available? The Sabres have decent depth at center, but with Josh Norris' injury history, it could make sense to add more to that position.
He is an older veteran at 32 years old, but is under contract for two more seasons after this one with an AAV of $5.6, which is reasonable considering the increases in the salary cap. The big question for Trocheck is whether he has a modified no-trade clause with 12 teams this season. Are the Sabres one of those teams, and even if they are, would he be willing to waive that?
There is no guarantee that the Sabres can get a deal done, but with other teams in the division, like the Boston Bruins, potentially making a splash, Jarmo Kekalainen should be busy working the phones. The Sabres have a great chance to end their playoff drought this season, but could be one or two pieces short, and a trade with the New York Rangers could fix that.