While most of the NHL trades happen near the deadline, early-season trades are worth keeping an eye out for. And the Sabres could be doing that, as Jacob Punturi of SI recently talked about earlier. This should be big news for Sabres fans, as they’ve seen wild inconsistencies from their team all month, and one more asset may take the Blue and Gold a long way.
These are rumors we should believe, as general manager Kevyn Adams has made quite a few moves this calendar year via trade, starting with defenseman Bowen Byram before he collected winger Beck Malenstyn and center Ryan McLeod this summer. While free agent acquisition Jason Zucker has also played better than expected, the Sabres have shown us they can use another forward.
Dylan Cozens, Zach Benson, and Jack Quinn haven’t played up to par this season, and none of them look like top-six material as far as 2024-25 goes. The “get a top-six forward” demand that I’ve unleashed since the summer could be picking up, and it’s one that should have Sabres fans guessing where Adams would acquire this luxury and for how much.
Kevyn Adams would easily invigorate the Sabres base with a new add
While no team is technically out of it at this point, there are some who never intended to compete in 2024-25. The Philadelphia Flyers, for example, could be looking to move a winger, and given their abysmal goaltending, a lack of scoring hasn’t always been the issue.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Chicago Blackhawks, who are currently on schedule to reserve a spot for themselves in the Central Division’s basement, look to move a player with top-six potential. No, it wouldn’t be any of their latest additions, but someone like Jason Dickinson (22 goals last season) could be a sneaky good add.
What about Mikael Granlund of the San Jose Sharks? This team should be looking to build around the young Macklin Celebrini, and the 32-year-old Granlund may be one of a few players on the move at some point this year. He currently has 13 points and five goals in 11 games and could easily factor in on the second line.
I still wouldn’t say no to Frank Vatrano of the Anaheim Ducks, as they’re yet another team crashing back to reality, as predicted. Vatrano had an amazing 37 goals last season and, so far, has four points through eight games.
Whether it’s someone listed above or not, this new rumor has got to have Sabres fans happy that Kevyn Adams isn’t giving up on the season - nor should we have expected him to.