The Buffalo Sabres are trending toward entering the new season without making a significant addition to a forward group that lost Alex Tuch over the summer, but there's still time to change that narrative.
While trade rumors have slowed to a halt around the NHL in recent weeks, that's pretty standard for August as executives and players take a little time off before the grind begins anew. Action often picks up again shortly before training camps open in September.
Sabres insider Paul Hamilton appeared on WGR 550 Radio on Wednesday morning to discuss the quiet rumor mill, particularly in terms of Detroit Red Wings superstar Dylan Larkin, who so far hasn't named Buffalo as one of his preferred destinations.
"Is it just a simple thing the Red Wings still want what they want and other teams aren't willing to pay — well, right now, four other teams aren't willing to pay that because that's all Larkin has said he that he would go to," Hamilton said. "... I've said all along Dylan Larkin is the guy I would overpay, I would throw the extra prospect in, or what it would take to bring him in. Probably the only one I would overpay for because he's signed, you know what you're getting with him. I think he really would be of the most use to the Buffalo Sabres."
Although it's unclear whether the Wings would even consider moving Larkin to an Atlantic Division rival, the 30-year-old forward certainly makes sense for the Blue and Gold on paper.
A first-line center is the team's most glaring need. Tage Thompson has filled that role for a majority of the past few seasons, but head coach Lindy Ruff has preferred the 6-foot-6 offensive dynamo on the wing when possible, which helps limit the impact of his defensive and faceoff deficiencies.
Larkin is coming off a 2025-26 campaign where he posted 67 points (34 goals and 33 assists) across 74 appearances for Detroit. He'd also provide an immediate boost for Buffalo on the power play (24 PP points) and in the faceoff circle (52.9% win rate).
Coincidentally, Tuch posted nearly identical numbers (33 goals and 33 assists) for the Sabres last season. So, it'd help eradicate concerns about the lost offense.
Red Wings' Dylan Larkin joining the Sabres is an extreme long shot
Understandably, front offices typically try to send key players as far away as possible when it comes to trade requests. It's one of the reasons Buffalo sent Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights rather than say, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marquee moves like Brady Tkachuk going from the Ottawa Senators to the Florida Panthers, two other members of the Atlantic, are more rare.
If Detroit can't convince Larkin to stay, it'd probably strongly prefer to send him somewhere in the Western Conference to limit the direct impact on its own organization moving forward.
That's why teams like the Golden Knights, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild will remain favored to land the three-time All-Star selection until there's information suggesting otherwise.
For a team like the Sabres, the trade demands from the Red Wings would likely be closer to a king's ransom than a standard modest overpay.
So, for Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, any late-offseason trade talks will probably circle back to Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
By all accounts, the Sabres and Jets were in contact about Hellebuyck leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft in late June but couldn't reach an agreement. Buffalo kept both of its first-round picks to select defenseman Daxon Rudolph and center Ilia Morozov.
Things have mostly went quiet since that point, which puts the Blue and Gold on a path to run it back with their three-goalie rotation of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis.
Kekalainen has shown no signs of extreme urgency when it comes to making a headline-making deal before the new season. The more conservative approach may work out fine given Buffalo's arriving wave of young talent, but it does come with risk following the exits of Tuch and Bowen Byram.
If he does change course and try to finalize a blockbuster, the tea leaves suggest Hellebuyck is far more likely than Larkin to head for Western New York.
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