It is seemingly back to the drawing board for the Buffalo Sabres this offseason as their top free agent target, Patrick Kane, decided to join the Chicago Blackhawks. There is certainly disappointment that the Sabres weren't able to bring him to Buffalo, but the patient approach Jarmo Kekalainen has taken this offseason is going to pay dividends this season.
There is no question that the Sabres lost key parts of their roster from last season in Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch. Meanwhile, they haven't been able to make a big splash to add to the roster, like trading for Connor Hellebuyck.
However, Kekalainen seems to be taking the approach that no deal is better than a bad deal. The Hellebuyck trade, as an example, was reportedly close, but the sticking point was that the Jets didn't want to do a pick swap as part of the move and include the eighth overall pick.
Would Connor Hellebuyck be a great addition? Absolutely. Do the Sabres need to overpay to add him? Not necessarily, and they can still move forward with their three-goalie rotation that worked well in the regular season.
The same could be said about Patrick Kane and it would be great for him to come to his hometown to end his career. However, a two-year contract with an AAV of $8 million is too much for the Sabres to spend.
Buffalo Sabres have not limited themselves on potential opportunities going into next season
The NHL announced this week that the trade deadline for the upcoming season is March 1st, 2027. There are always players who become available during the season that no one expected, and this is why it was smart for the Sabres not to make a panic move to just make a move.
They have given themselves a buffer with their salary cap of about $5 million that doesn't limit them to make salaries match. The Sabres also have plenty of draft capital that would be appealing to a team rebuilding, with all their first-round picks, along with extra picks in the third round of the next two drafts.
It would have been great for the Sabres to have made a move already to keep the momentum going after making the playoffs. However, they are the fourth youngest team in the NHL, and their championship window is wide open
This summer, teams were overpaying, both in free agency and the trade market, due to the lack of options. For fans, there is no question they would have loved to see a move already, but the Sabres' decision not to jump into that will benefit them in the long run.
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