One prospect for the Sabres to sell and two players to buy at the trade deadline
With a 29-29-4 record and 62 points, the Buffalo Sabres may be out of the running, but there are enough young players to trade for to keep building this young team.
The Buffalo Sabres need to sell players like Erik Johnson and get something out of them while they can, but when you look at how much cap space they have, their offseason could come early. Buffalo can make some serious noise at the deadline as buyers without intending to contend in 2023-24 and instead bring in assets for 2024-25.
It’s not something you see often, with contenders looking to trade quite a few assets for rentals who will be in yet another different uniform come October, while those expecting to contend two or three years from today will add high draft picks and star prospects.
But just because the aforementioned method is what most of the pro hockey universe pays attention to in early March, it is not the only way. Given the Sabres situation as a young team that still has enough room to keep adding to the core, plus quite a few prominent youngsters in the rumor mill, general manager Kevyn Adams needs to at least pick up the phone.
Sabres can take a more counterintuitive route near the 2024 trade deadline
The names listed below are all productive players, whether they have spent ample time in the NHL or have yet to regularly contribute in the big league. While there is just one prospect listed below, it does not indicate that they would be the only one going elsewhere should a situation arise where Adams traded for the two young but potential-laden players listed.
But the Sabres have a prospect pool that’s stacked well enough to give away a few names who are at least seven months away from playing in the NHL for young, established talent. And why not? Our two players to buy haven’t just garnered sound NHL experience; they have also been successful in their young careers.
Player to buy: Trevor Zegras
If there is one young player to buy at the deadline, it’s a 22-year-old who has already enjoyed some sustained success. While the Flyers look like the front runners to trade for Zegras, we also know a lot can change in a matter of hours, depending on which front office offers the most enticing deal.
It’s also important to remember that if nobody buys Zegras come March 8th, the Sabres can always battle the Flyers and others vying for him in the sweepstakes this offseason.
And although Zegras has only appeared in 20 games this season, which young team wouldn’t be interested in a young player who has 53 goals and 146 points in 200 NHL games? Zegras’ $5.75 million cap hit is also something the Sabres can easily cover for 2024-25 and the following year before they would need to sign him to an extension should he fit well with the team.
Buying Zegras would make sense on many fronts since it’s clear the Sabres can use another scorer, given how inconsistent they have been this season when they have puck possession. Bringing in the 22-year-old would force opponents to account for yet another player with high-scoring potential, and this presence could help the Blue and Gold return to that fun team they were last year.
Prospect to sell: Matt Savoie
It was painful to list Matt Savoie here since he has a remarkable future in this league a year or two from today, and ideally, you want to see it in Buffalo. But let’s face the fact: The Sabres will be in win-now mode next season, and everyone, from Don Granato to Kevyn Adams, knows what will be at stake.
Therefore, Adams, Granato, and company need to ask themselves, “Does an A-prospect like Matt Savoie help us in the short run?” The answer is a likely ‘no,’ unlike a few “untouchable” names like Jiri Kulich, Devon Levi, and potentially Isak Rosen, who could be in Buffalo next year.
This leaves Savoie as the odd man out, given his overall productivity at the junior level and in his limited AHL experience. A team like the Anaheim Ducks would jump at a chance to trade Zegras to Buffalo if Savoie was part of the trade package, and it would work as a win-win.
Buffalo gets a player who would help them win immediately, especially if there are jobs at stake next season. Meanwhile, Savoie can spend a year further developing his game in the AHL for an organization that won’t compete for a playoff spot until at least 2025-26.
Player to buy: Adam Boqvist
The Sabres would have Adam Boqvist for 2024-25 to see if he’d be a good fit if they worked out a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Like Zegras, Boqvist won’t cost them a lot in cap space next season, and he’s a two-way talent they could put into their third-pairing.
Boqvist would join former No. 1 picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, which, along with Ryan Johnson and Mattias Samuelsson, comprises an ultra-young core with the potential to remain together for a while. Not to mention, Connor Clifton would be there, too, giving Buffalo an ultra-talented top-six with the potential to mesh for the entire decade.
Like Zegras, we haven’t seen Boqvist often this season, as he’s played in just 29 games as of March 3rd. But he would give the Sabres an insurance policy to quarterback power plays if Dahlin or Power went down with injuries and missed time.
As a two-way talent, he’s also a trusted contributor in the offensive zone, having maintained steady Corsi and Fenwick For percentages and offensive zone starting percentages at 5-on-5. While the Blue Jackets may want a high price for the 23-year-old, the value he would add to the Sabres third-pairing makes him worth inquiring about.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of March 3rd)