Jarmo Kekalainen tried to make a big splash during his first trade deadline as Buffalo Sabres general manager, but missed out on moves for Robert Thomas and Colton Parayko. He wasn't completely shut out and did make a few trades, but none really made much of an impact during the Sabres' playoff run.
Unfortunately, there is one trade in particular that could continue to limit what Kekalainen and the Sabres can do this summer. It is widely accepted that this is not a class of unrestricted free agents with players who can make a big difference for teams. However, there are several restricted free agents that teams could pursue, and teams might be willing to put together offer sheets than in years past.
For the Sabres, it might not be an option because of the trade they made with the Winnipeg Jets for Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn.
Buffalo Sabres don't have the draft picks needed to extend offer sheets
For teams that sign restricted free agents to offer sheets, it is up to the original team whether or not they are going to match that offer. If they decide they don't want to, then they receive draft pick compensation, and this is where it gets complicated for the Sabres.
According to Puckpedia, the draft compensation is determined by the AAV of the offer sheet, and contracts between $1.58 million and $2.39 million would require the 2027 3rd round pick. The Sabres still have this pick, but at this AAV, teams would likely match the contract.
The next tier is probably where the Sabres would be looking to target players if they were to sign a restricted free agent. That range is between $2.39 million and $4.8 million, but unfortunately, the Sabres can't extend an offer sheet in this range because of the trade they made with the Jets.
The trade the Sabres made with the Jets included Jacob Bryson, prospect Isak Rosen, and their 2027 2nd Round Pick. That draft pick is the compensation required to extend an offer sheet in that range, and when considering the NHL has a rule that it has to be their original pick, it almost guarantees the Sabres won't be signing any outside restricted free agents.
It doesn't necessarily mean all options are off the table if there is a player the Sabres want who is a restricted free agent. They could offer a contract above that $4.8 million, but now the compensation jumps to a 2027 1st and 2027 3rd round pick.
The Sabres could also try to work out a trade with the original team of the restricted free agent and then sign them to a contract. For restricted free agents, this is the more common route within the league.
In the end, this trade with the Jets didn't work out as it looks unlikely that the Sabres won't be bringing either player back with Stanley and Schenn set to be free agents and seemingly could impact what they do this summer. However, the Sabres should have a general manager who tries to make something happen when they see an opportunity rather than remain passive at the trade deadline.
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