3 players the Buffalo Sabres must move by the 2024 trade deadline
If the Buffalo Sabres sell at the trade deadline, it shouldn’t mean they are throwing their season away, but shedding the roster of players they don’t need.
The Buffalo Sabres must sell come the trade deadline, but not for the reason you may think. Their 2023-24 season isn’t over until there is no mathematical way for them to be one of the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference. But for the entire year, the Sabres have been dealing with a logjam of one-way contracts, which doesn’t bode well for the team.
Therefore, Casey Mittelstadt will not be one of the players listed below even if trade rumors may be swirling. However, the deadline gives them a reason to free up that congestion by moving players of lesser value, and there are three they can trade for reasonable prices come March 8th, 2024.
Don’t expect them to trade anyone they have locked into a long-term contract, or in Mittelstadt’s case, anyone who may deserve one before the regular season is underway in October 2024.
Players the Buffalo Sabres should trade by the March 2024 deadline
1 - Erik Johnson, D
Erik Johnson was supposed to stay for the year, but the infamous healthy scratches that the emerging Ryan Johnson has received more than a few times this season given the number of veterans on the roster should require a change of plans. Erik, as with the other two players on this list, won’t command a high price, but if a team is missing a blueliner because of injury for an extended time, general manager Kevyn Adams will get a phone call.
Despite the lower price tag associated with Erik Johnson, don’t be surprised if Adams traded him for a mid-round pick. This past August, he sent Ilya Lyubushkin to the Anaheim Ducks for a fourth, so trading Johnson to a contender that needs a guy on the third pairing could overvalue him.
If Erik Johnson plays elsewhere, the Blue and Gold can finally play Ryan Johnson without the need to scratch him or any blueliner who must play full-time. Only Henri Jokiharju should warrant consideration to be a healthy scratch, but by recalling someone like Jacob Bryson, Kale Clague, or Riley Stillman back to Buffalo full time will compensate for that.
2 - Victor Olofsson, W
It’s hard to believe Victor Olofsson is still here, but now that we know the 28-year-old can play better defense than we previously thought, someone may give him a longer look. Olofsson still isn’t worth more than a late-rounder or a pair of middling prospects. However, any contender also looking to improve their man advantage could inquire about Olofsson, especially since he can also contribute defensively.
While Olofsson hasn’t seen much time on the power play across the first three months of the 2023-24 season and has therefore scored no goals at 5-on-4, he still has 34 of them in his career. Note that he’s only scored 87 overall, so a solid 39 percent of them have come on the power play.
It wouldn’t take much for the Sabres to replace Olofsson if the team stays healthy, and if not, then a prospect like Jiri Kulich can finally get an extended look. Overall, this shouldn’t be a tough move if a contender calls and even offers near-minimal compensation.
3 - Zemgus Girgensons, F
I didn’t want to put Zemgus Girgensons here, but Peyton Krebs is young and could still be part of the team’s long-term plans, Eric Robinson has been a good fit on the fourth line, and with Kyle Okposo being the team captain, it left Girgensons. Contending teams looking to increase their physicality on the lower lines will be interested in him, and Girgensons has also shown to be one of a few skaters in Buffalo willing to set himself up around the net.
Like Olofsson, Girgensons won’t bring the Buffalo Sabres a blockbuster deal, but once again, he provides value to teams that need someone to bring an edge. If this were to occur hypothetically along with the Olofsson deal, then Buffalo can recall Tyson Jost. This, in conjunction with a player like Kulich (see previous slide), gives them enough to ride out the year.
Even if Adams moved the players mentioned, it doesn’t mean the Blue and Gold are giving up on the season. The opposite may even be true, as it could ironically put the best overall product onto the ice, even if they are taking a loss in Girgensons.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)