The Sabres are still inching toward the Trade Deadline, but have yet to make any moves as sellers this year. There are many rumors about who is going to end up where, as the Sabres had 12 different NHL teams at their last game against Montreal. These three players however should be staying in Buffalo after the deadline and should be re-signed by the Sabres.
Bowen Byram
Byram is a player who came over in the Casey Mittlestadt trade last year and has arguably been a top defenseman, not only on the Sabres but in the NHL as well. Since coming to Buffalo he has 10 goals with 25+ assists and a plus-minus of seven. On top of that, he keeps his penalty minutes to a minimum and is in the top 15 for the least amount of penalty minutes for defensemen with at least 50 games played.
Most importantly, he makes a perfect pairing with Rasmus Dahlin on the top defensive pairing. Dahlin is an offensive defenseman who loves to push the pace of play, and having Byram as a stay-at-home defenseman allows them to gel well together. Byram has franchise defenseman talent, and I think he is only getting started in Buffalo.
Ryan McLeod
McLeod has also been a tremendous addition for the Sabres this season, as he was acquired from Edmonton in the offseason. McLeod spent most of his career in a heavy offense system in Edmonton but is now getting more reps in a top 10 offensive system in Buffalo. McLeod has been on the 2nd and 3rd line this year, where he has career-highs in points (31), goals (14), plus-minus (+11), and is one assist shy of his career high of 18.
McLeod has been a staple for the Sabres new mantra of bringing in ready and capable players as these rebuilds don’t seem to be working. McLeod on the second line with Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker arguably makes them one of the best second lines in hockey. McLeod is a solid vet on the youngest team in the league and can make this team a contender again in the future.
JJ Peterka
Peterka has been the biggest surprise this season as he continues to grow more each game. The 23-year-old set career highs last season, and has continued to do that this season. Peterka has a career-high in assists with (28) and is on his way to a career-high in points as he has 45 points in just 56 games. Peterka notched just 50 points in 82 games last season. The most important change in his game this season is playing alongside Tage Thompson.
Thompson said his favorite teammate to play alongside was Peterka and it shows. Peterka can find the open man with Thompson as a true scorer, but he can also create and score himself with his 17 goals this season. Peterka is on a team-friendly deal currently but has to re-sign in the offseason. With Thompson signed through 2031, the best thing Kevyn Adams can do is sign his winger to keep the chemistry going upfront.