Power ranking the toughest decisions the Sabres will face in the 2024 offseason
Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams will face more than his fair share of tough decisions in the 2024 offseason, so let’s rank the seven hardest ones.
A few days back, I wrote about a few seemingly unreasonable moves that would make sense for the Sabres. What I didn’t discuss was how tough these decisions could be, and that’s what we’re talking about today. Just because a decision could make sense doesn’t mean it will be easy for general manager Kevyn Adams, and they’re worth a deeper dive.
There are many what-ifs going on as May fades into June, ranging from weighing the pros and cons of signing a veteran goaltender and allowing Devon Levi to play in Rochester or bringing him up to play full-time in the NHL to a contract extension for one certain eligible player.
We’re not talking about why a decision would make sense or anything like that, but simply looking further into the pros and cons of the following seven decisions that Kevyn Adams must make in the 2024 offseason. We’ll start with something that not too many fans think about but is nonetheless important before ending with whether to extend some current talent.
7: Which restricted free agents to extend a qualifying offer
This is an interesting one because there are four notable restricted free agents not named Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen whom Kevyn Adams must make a decision on. But not all of them have performed equally well over the past few seasons, with Peyton Krebs being the front runner.
But Krebs’ ceiling looks like he’s a fourth-liner as opposed to a top-six scorer, as I’m sure it’s what Kevyn Adams wanted from the former first-round pick. Nevertheless, Krebs has the potential to be one of the NHL’s most physical defensive forwards, and that brings value to the Sabres.
The other three are blueliners Henri Jokiharju, Kale Clague, and Jacob Bryson. I won’t dive too much into them, but the trio’s fate rests with Adams’ vision for the defensive rotation. Does he look to move someone like Connor Clifton and/or plan to call up Ryan Johnson for a full season in the NHL?
Such variables will decide on whether Jokiharju, Clague, or Bryson stay in the system. Adams will need a lot of foresight as to who he will keep on the blue line if he decides to retain any of them.
6: Figuring out if any pending unrestricted free agents are worth keeping
There are five unrestricted free agents on the Sabres active roster per Cap Friendly, and none of them put up game-changing productivity. Okay, maybe you can make an exception for Zemgus Girgensons, who brings value not in the offensive zone but as a defensive-oriented forward.
As for the others, Kevyn Adams needs to weigh the benefits of keeping them to that of letting them walk in free agency and signing, or better yet, calling up others, but there isn’t much to go on.
Questions include: Are there better depth forwards out there than Tyson Jost, Victor Olofsson, and Eric Robinson, as they pertain to making the Sabres better, whether in free agency or in the system? Should they keep Eric Comrie around strictly as organizational depth and give the 1B spot to Devon Levi, or does it make sense to bring in someone else? The latter is actually a question I will answer in the next section.
5: Sign a veteran goaltender or set the stage for Devon Levi
Devon Levi can step onto the NHL ice and give the Sabres at least a 0.900 save percentage and a 2.90 GAA in 2024-25. Not outstanding numbers, but better than what he gave them last season. He’s ready for the NHL, but would he be prepared to take on a consistent workload as a 1B goaltender?
In the ‘unreasonable’ piece, I mentioned Ilya Samsonov as a signing that would make sense should the Sabres want to keep Levi in Rochester for another year. But it could also create a potential goaltender controversy if Levi showed an inevitable jump in productivity while Samsonov failed to improve what was a strong second half of the 2023-24 season.
It would make zero sense in that case to go with a three-goaltender solution, even if, in foresight, bringing someone in like Samsonov would give Levi an avenue to stay in Rochester. Another bet then, could be to sign a goalie to push Levi, perhaps a netminder who is a cut above Eric Comrie. One who, once Levi plays just as well or surpasses them, should have no qualms about being placed on waivers.
4: To trade or not to trade the 11th overall pick
Some may call this one the toughest decision, as the Sabres had a 13th overall pick who worked out pretty well for them last season. While they were looking to parlay their strong finish in 2022-23 into a playoff berth the sense of urgency wasn’t quite as high as it will be for 2024-25.
Plus, lightning isn’t striking twice, so if they kept the 11th pick, whoever they select is not making an immediate jump to the NHL, nor should they. Zach Benson was a unique case, as the Sabres not only had room in the lineup, but he was also one of their top forwards in quite a few of those contests.
But, keeping the 11th overall pick and drafting a prospect while waiting until July to make a big trade also shouldn’t be out of the question. Drafting a player and letting them succeed either in college, overseas, or at the junior level means they could become a high-end trade piece themselves in the future. And speaking of which…
3: Which high-end prospects to include in a potential offseason trade
This one would be ranked even higher, but because of the win-now mentality that should be sweeping across the organization, there were two that could be more pressing. The Sabres have arguably more high-end prospects than any other organization, and there is one team - the Anaheim Ducks - that could A) Take some prospects and B) Have quality players to give, something I discussed in my latest mock draft simulation.
But what if Jiri Kulich, for example, is ready to roll in the NHL, and the Sabres trade him to Anaheim in a package that also includes a first-round pick for someone like Trevor Zegras (or Frank Vatrano)? We know Zegras never got going last season and Vatrano is heading into his age-30 season, and if Kulich becomes the player we know he will be, well, that’s the entire risk-reward factor.
What about Matt Savoie and Isak Rosen? Another pair of players who could easily win a spot in an NHL lineup. But then again, the Blue and Gold are in win-now mode, which is why the decision to include or not to include a high-end prospect in a trade isn’t as pressing as the top two on this list.
2: Include any current players in an offseason trade
Jordan Greenway and Connor Clifton stand out to me as potential trade pieces should something occur over the summer. Greenway has a year left on his deal, but trading him would also mean moving one of the few players who helped the Blue and Gold become a more physical hockey team.
Connor Clifton took a while to get going, but he also improved as the 2023-24 season wore on. Should the Sabres trade him, not only would they lose their oldest and most experienced defenseman (in NHL experience), but they’re also moving someone who just started figuring things out.
Neither Greenway nor Clifton factor in as great players, and both would be worth trading at the right price. But they are valuable depth assets who, now that each has a full season in Buffalo, could also be solid and necessary role players.
1: Short or long-term extension for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has pretty much played two full seasons in the NHL, even if he didn’t get the initial call-up until November 2022. So far, he had one bad season and one good season, but nobody realized how well he would perform in 2023-24.
So was last year an outlier, or did we see the real Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen lining up in the crease? He would also head into the 2024-25 season knowing he’s at least the 1A goaltender and isn’t stuck behind Devon Levi. Plus, there should also be no Eric Comrie in town to come out of nowhere and potentially take the spot.
So far, Kevyn Adams has had mixed results in signing his players to long-term deals. Rasmus Dahlin looks like a winner, and Owen Power had a better year than he was given credit for. Tage Thompson rebounded well and he should pick up where he left off, but Mattias Samuelsson and Dylan Cozens were different stories. So it makes you wonder what the best route would be with Luukkonen if recent history gives us no conclusive results.
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