The Buffalo Sabres need scoring help and need it fast. Since it is mid-season, really the only way to do that right now is through a trade. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen finds himself in a position where he must make a big swing, and the best fit right now might be Philadelphia Flyers forward Owen Tippett.
The Flyers are off to a horrible start at 4-10-5, even though one of those wins was over the Buffalo Sabres, and they might be looking to shake up their team. Tippett is probably not one that Daniel Briere would want to trade, but he probably also would bring back the biggest return.
It would be a costly price for Kekalainen, but one he should be willing to pay because Tippett fills a lot of needs that the Sabres have right now. While Tippett is off to a slow start this season with only two goals and an assist, he did have four straight seasons prior to that with 20 or more goals.
Tippett also does a great job getting into high-danger areas and during this recent stretch has had 70 or more individual high-danger chances in three of the past four seasons, according to Natural Stat Trick.
In addition to the scoring, Tippett is a big forward who can bring some physicality to this offense, averaging more than 138 hits over the past four seasons.
While he doesn't have much experience on the power play or the penalty kill, the scoring and physicality would be a huge boost for the Sabres. This also wouldn't be a short-term fix, as Tippett is under contract for five more seasons with a very reasonable AAV of $6.2 million. However, it is worth noting that Tippett does have a 10-team no-trade clause that could complicate any potential trade.
What should the Buffalo Sabres offer to trade for Owen Tippett?
When looking at the Philadelphia Flyers' roster, they are probably going to be looking for center depth, and that is something the Sabres have plenty of. While the Flyers might want Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund, or Konsta Helenius, the Sabres should push for a package of Ryan McLeod or Josh Norris and draft picks.
While Kekalainen should give Briere the choice, he almost certainly would want Ryan McLeod. He could be a perfect fix for their middle six and is coming off back-to-back 50-point seasons. The contract values are almost identical, with McLeod set to have an AAV of $5 million this season, which makes a trade like this easier.
If the Sabres were able to pull off a trade like this, it would give them options in how they structure their Top 6. It could allow Tage Thompson to move back to center with Tippett and Zach Benson on his wing. They could also put Tippett on the second line with Jack Quinn and Noah Ostlund, moving Doan down to the third line with Jason Zucker and Jiri Kulich back at center.
In the end, a trade of McLeod and a 2028 second-round pick should be enough to keep Daniel Briere on the phone and consider the offer. For the Sabres, Tippett doesn't address all their problems, but it does help them in two big areas that would make them much better and get closer to playing like they did last season.
Jarmo Kekalainen has tried to make moves to this point and has come up short in his pursuit of Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin. It might be time to focus on a more realistic target, and Owen Tippett would have a big impact for a team that needs a spark.
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