There aren't many high-end NHL players who could still be on the move ahead of the new season, which gets underway in late September, but Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko is among those still at the center of the rumor mill.
Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report looked at five potential landing spots for Marchenko on Thursday. The Buffalo Sabres made the list, but so did two of their Atlantic Division rivals, the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.
"The pressure is on the Sabres to build on that promising momentum and emerge not just as a perennial playoff club but as a Stanley Cup contender," Richardson wrote.
Buffalo is the reigning Atlantic champion, using an extended surge that began in early December to hold off the Habs and Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot. It marked the organization's first division crown since 2010.
The Atlantic is shaping up to become an absolute gauntlet in 2026-27. All five clubs that made the playoffs out of the loaded division last season (the Sabres, Bolts, Canadiens, Sens and Boston Bruins) are expected to compete for a spot again, while the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs have both reloaded their rosters with an eye on a quick postseason return.
Even the Detroit Red Wings, who are currently facing some uncertainty because of a Dylan Larkin trade request, could make some noise if the standout center ends up staying put. In that scenario, the division might not have a single truly weak link.
That's why these type of trade talks are so intriguing, especially for a team like Buffalo that doesn't want to immediately fall back down the standings after finally ending a 14-year playoff drought.
Not only would acquiring a high-impact player like Marchenko, who tallied 67 points (27 goals and 40 assists) in 76 games for Columbus last season, help the Sabres replace the departed Alex Tuch, but it'd also keep him away from Montreal and Ottawa.
The 26-year-old Russian wouldn't come cheap — our Brandon Croce recently predicted a trade package of Josh Norris, Jack Quinn and a pair of draft picks, including a 2027 first-rounder — but that's essentially the going rate for a marquee player in the current market.
That said, the Blue Jackets have so far shown little urgency to actually move Marchenko before the new campaign gets started despite the ongoing rumors.
Buffalo Sabres will likely have to take a big trade swing eventually
The Sabres have been heavily linked to a blockbuster deal for Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck throughout the summer. Now they've been mentioned as a potential destination for Marchenko.
Yet, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen hasn't operated like somebody desperate to make a roster-altering trade this offseason. Instead, the front office appears confident the club will be able to make up for the losses of Tuch and Bowen Byram from within.
It's certainly possible. Buffalo owns tremendous organizational depth, both in terms of current talent on the NHL roster, most of it being young players either in their prime or about to get there, and a vastly improved prospect pool that got stronger with the additions of Daxon Rudolph and Ilia Morozov in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
That said, it still feels like the Sabres may need to make a bold trade for a superstar at some point.
The Blue and Gold do have a few cornerstones, most notably Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson, but the squad's elite star power just doesn't quite match up to the NHL's top Stanley Cup contenders.
You could argue it's possible Owen Power finally reaches his true potential, or a prospect like Rudolph or Konsta Helenius ultimately reaches that upper echelon of players. As it stands, however, the team could use one (or two) more game-changing forces to enter that championship conversation.
That's particularly true if the Eastern Conference is going to remain this remarkably strong for the foreseeable future. There will be a few really talented squads that don't even qualify for the playoffs next season. Every point is going to matter.
The Sabres' depth does provide a higher floor, and gives the franchise some security if injuries strike throughout the campaign, but they're still a little short when it comes to players who can single-handedly take over a game when the team as a whole isn't having its best night.
Marchenko is a long shot, at least for the time being, because he's still a restricted free agent next offseason, so there's no imminent time pressure on Columbus to make a deal. The Hellebuyck buzz has also died down considerably over the past handful of weeks.
So, it's trending toward the Sabres heading into the 2026-27 season with their current roster, and their bet on internal improvement isn't necessarily a bad one.
That doesn't change the fact a trade to acquire a bona fide NHL stud may be required before Buffalo is truly prepared to bring a long-awaited championship to the city, though.
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