3 players the Sabres must avoid trading for in the 2024 offseason
Logan Couture, C
Few in the NHL have been the face of a franchise longer than Logan Couture, who has been a staple in San Jose, having played 15 seasons with the organization. But with the Sharks looking to revamp everything, there is a good chance Mike Grier will move him this summer to a team looking for leadership.
Still one of the NHL’s younger organizations, the Sabres can use another leader to take the spot that Kyle Okposo held for years. Couture, even in his later years, has still proven to be a productive player and one who can put up 23 or more goals when healthy. His play in the defensive zone matches what he can do with the puck, and he’s also someone who can easily see time in the top-six in the event of injuries.
But Couture will be in his 16th, and age-35 season, and he’s also coming off of a pair of significant injuries. Both factors will lower his trade value vs. someone like Pavel Buchnevich or high-potential youngsters, but it’s also worth asking whether he’s the correct candidate to help the Sabres get to the next level.
Even if he can, it also raises the question of how many more good seasons he realistically has. The only way Kevyn Adams should even consider trading for a player like Couture is if he can underpay, which would entail Grier to literally want to dump him off to someone else.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)