One pending free agent the Sabres can steal from their Atlantic Division rivals in NHL free agency
The Buffalo Sabres proved to us this season that they are ready to scale up and add more relevant talent from the outside and perhaps familiar talent.
The Buffalo Sabres didn’t take the step forward we needed them to with a lineup that started the year as a virtual mirror image - sans a few positions - of last season. For 2024-25, that won’t work as the team could face monumental changes if general manager Kevyn Adams doesn’t put a better product onto the ice or if head coach Don Granato struggles to get consistency from the group - assuming he’s still around.
Luckily, the Sabres aren’t a half-bad team, and they have shown us on more than a few occasions they can flat-out dominate even talented opponents - like the Toronto Maple Leafs last December, even if the latest game didn’t go as planned or more recently, the Vegas Golden Knights. That said, they don’t need to bring in a superstar to transform this team, just a complementary scorer or two to help them finally reach the next level.
Below, you will meet a few of those complementary scorers and other role players who are slated to be unrestricted free agents. Each player is also familiar to Buffalo as they currently play in the Atlantic Division. Keep reading to discover who these seven players are - six forwards and one defenseman - and how they would help the Sabres in 2024-25 if they came to Western New York.
James van Riemsdyk, Forward/Boston Bruins
This list will comprise a mixture of older players, and James van Riemsdyk will bring 15 seasons’ worth of experience to the Blue and Gold if he ultimately enters the free agent market. He hasn’t been outstanding as of late, but van Riemsdyk would help the Sabres address what could be a weakness next season - the bottom-six.
They already lost Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche and Kyle Okposo to the Florida Panthers, but with a few more slated to enter free agency this offseason, van Riemsdyk would make for a good stopgap should Buffalo need another asset even after they inevitably call up a few prospects.
James van Riemsdyk has just 11 goals on the year, but six have come on the power play. He has 12 points total on the man advantage, and a player who could bring more to the unit next season would be a luxury for the Sabres after what has been a miserable year at 5-on-4 this year.
Patrick Kane, Forward/Detroit Red Wings
Patrick Kane has made perhaps the most surprising impact of any aging player this season for the Detroit Red Wings. While it’s a minute sample size, he’s already accomplished far more than anyone else trying to make their way back from a hip resurfacing procedure, and his productivity and overall durability may have earned him a second season in the Motor City.
But if general manager Steve Yzerman wants to bring up his next wave of prospects, Kane may be looking for work this July. Now that we know he can return and still play close to an elite level, why wouldn’t Kevyn Adams try to bring him back home to Western New York?
Sure, he may want to play only for a team that he knows will contend next year, and the Sabres unfortunately, don’t fit that mold. But there’s always the argument to be made that a player like Kane could be the missing piece to turn Buffalo into a true contender, something he’s been trying to do with the Red Wings this season.
Through March 31st, he has 17 goals and 41 points in 42 appearances with Detroit, with over one-third of those points - 14 - coming on the power play. Knowing how poorly Buffalo has performed at 5-on-4 this season, Kane’s ability on the man advantage should further incentivize the Sabres to take a good look at him if he’s on the market in July.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Forward/Florida Panthers
Vladimir Tarasenko hasn’t been as productive scoring-wise since he first burst onto the scene with the Florida Panthers. He has just six points in 11 games following a stint in Ottawa that saw him record 41 (17 goals) in 57 contests - but nevertheless, he can still produce. Buffalo could use not just a two-way player but an experienced one who has won a Stanley Cup and could easily win another one this year.
Whether it’s experience, productivity, a strong voice on and off the ice, or someone who can play solid hockey in all three zones, Tarasenko would benefit a young team like the Sabres in many ways. No, he’s no longer an All-Star or a top-15 candidate for the Hart Trophy in 2024, but his presence on the middle-six could help the Sabres rediscover their high-profile identity with the puck better than a lot of those slated to be pending unrestricted free agents in July.
Tarasenko is another name on this list who would upgrade a meager power play, and at 5-on-5, he can still get close to 50 percent on the Corsi while his presence on the ice will account for more goals for than goals against. Even with the Senators, the latter number sat at a 42 to 34 ratio.
Tanner Pearson, Forward/Montreal Canadiens
There were just a few players worth seriously considering in Montreal, and Tanner Pearson was the best of a bad group. He’s never been a major scorer, logging no more than 45 points and 21 goals in a season, but that was all the way back in 2019-20, and he was also still playing in the top-six at that point in his career.
Pearson has logged just 12:53 of average total ice time, his lowest since the 2013-14 season when he played in 25 games for the Los Angeles Kings. So, like a couple of names on this list, he would be one for the bottom-six, but if the Sabres rediscovered their high-scoring mentality, that’s all Pearson would need to play.
He would bring a new edge to the lower lines, as Pearson has registered nearly a hit to just over a hit per game this season. The Sabres could use more help while short-handed, and Pearson gives them that, even if he’s better suited for the second penalty kill unit.
Since he hasn’t been anywhere near as productive offensively since 2019-20, Pearson’s next salary and overall contract length also shouldn’t be an issue. Look for a smaller number and perhaps one-to-two years unless he enjoys a remarkable final two weeks to the season.
Dominik Kubalik, Forward/Ottawa Senators
Depending on who stays and who goes, the Sabres must find a way to strengthen their lower lines. Kyle Okposo is already gone, and Eric Robinson, Zemgus Girgensons, Tyson Jost, and even Peyton Krebs (an RFA) can also be on their respective way out, leaving quite the void at forward.
Dominik Kubalik won’t just fill the lower lines, but he could also be a productive piece to the scoring puzzle. Yes, he’s had an awful year offensively despite scoring 11 goals as he’s logged just four helpers, but it’s also worth noting that his average total ice time is just 12:18, by far the lowest of his career.
What makes Kubalik so interesting is that he has, in the past, averaged roughly 0.675 points per game, which was the case during his rookie season in the league with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019-20. He also found the net 30 times in the shortened season and displayed a fair two-way game, so there is a good chance he could emulate his past performances with the right team.
His advanced numbers in Ottawa aren’t up to scratch, and this is yet another reason he should be out after one season. His Corsi For at 5-on-5 is just 43.7 percent, and this has come with 52.4 percent of his starts occurring in the offensive zone. His on-ice goals for in the same situation is just a measly 15, by far a career-low, and his on-ice goals allowed currently sit at 41.
But his advanced numbers have also been much better in the past, so he’s worth taking a look at.
Anthony Duclair, Forward/Tampa Bay Lightning
Today’s list comprises players who have been flashy this season and others who have not performed as well. In Anthony Duclair’s case, he’s been a bit of both, struggling with the rest of the San Jose Sharks before becoming more of an impact player in Tampa.
It’s been nearly a month since the NHL trade deadline, yet Duclair has nine points and five goals in nine contests, plus a 25.0 shooting percentage with the Lightning. As mentioned a few times in this piece, it’s clear the Sabres need one more player who can establish themselves as a scorer, and they have the talent for Duclair to play to his strengths.
Also mentioned throughout this piece is that Buffalo needs somebody to step up on the man advantage, and Duclair is another name on this list who can do that. He’s been on the ice four times when the Lightning have scored at 5-on-4, and the team’s shooting percentage is a stellar 44.4 when Duclair is out there.
Maybe the Sabres still don’t have the same talent that would make a complementary scorer like Duclair play like a superstar. But they have far more talent than San Jose, so should Kevyn Adams sign the seasoned veteran if he remains available after the season, look for him to better resemble the player we have seen in Tampa.
Ilya Lyubushkin, Defenseman/Toronto Maple Leafs
Yep, everything makes a full circle, and that would be the case with Ilya Lyubushkin. One reason I’ve been so impressed with Lyubushkin this season has been his ability to bounce back from what was a bad year during his lone outing with the Sabres.
He looked like a bad fit, but this time around, should he return to the City of Good Neighbors, Lyubushkin would be a clear-cut seventh man in the defensive rotation if Kevyn Adams does not re-sign Jacob Bryson, Henri Jokiharju, and Kale Clague - though the latter would likely remain on a two-way deal if he re-signed.
Lyubushkin wouldn’t play over 15 minutes per contest, close to what we saw during the 2022-23 season, but you could expect him to make a far greater impact if he returned and played in roughly half the games.
He had just 99 hits and 104 blocks in 68 games with the Blue and Gold, but that’s far below what he’s done this season in Anaheim and, more recently, Toronto. In just 66 contests, the 29-year-old has 155 blocks and 154 hits, showing us that when healthy or when properly utilized, he can be a difference-maker on the third-pairing.
Sure, he needs to do more than just finish checks and block pucks, but that’s primarily what will make him tough to play against.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of April 1st)