The Buffalo Sabres have the potential to get back in the NHL playoff conversation this season but, if they're actually in the mix around the trade deadline, will general manager Kevyn Adams finally be prepared to make a blockbuster trade to bring in a game-changing player?
Chicago Blackhawks forward Teuvo Teravainen is one possible option. Michael Augello of The Hockey News reported Adams would "definitely be attracted" to the 30-year-old winger, who's entering the second season of a three-year, $16.2 million contract.
If the Hawks fall out of postseason contention once again in 2025-26 — they're likely a year or two away from getting back to a playoff level — Augello projected Chicago "could be willing to move" the Finland native if the price is right.
Teravainen wouldn't come cheap, however, which would really test whether Adams can truly leave his seller's mindset in the rear-view mirror to become an active buyer on the trade market.
Pros: Teravainen to Buffalo
Quite simply, the Sabres didn't fill the void created by trading JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring. Although Doan and Kesselring will be key members of the roster, they don't bring the high-end offensive upside Peterka did for the past few years.
Teravainen could take on a top-six role on the wing. He's recorded 517 points (170 goals and 347 assists) in 752 games across two stints with the Hawks and eight years with the Carolina Hurricanes. He peaked with 76 points for the Canes in 2018-19.
Even on a Chicago club that finished with just 61 points last season, the 2012 first-round pick still managed 15 goals and 43 assists while playing all 82 contests. His 47.3 expected goals for percentage (xGF%) was the highest among Blackhawks forwards, per Natural Stat Trick.
His playmaking ability as a passer is something sorely lacking in the Sabres' top six. Peterka was Buffalo's only forward with more than 40 assists last season. Next on the list was Ryan McLeod, who serves as the team's third-line center, with 33.
Teravainen would probably step right into a first-line role for the Sabres alongside Tage Thompson and either Josh Norris or Alex Tuch (depending on whether Tage is playing wing or center).
Finally, the 5-foot-11 veteran's contract checks in at $5.4 million annually. How much free cap space does Buffalo currently own? $5.2 million, according to PuckPedia, so it's almost a perfect fit requiring very little additional roster management to make him fit on the roster.
Cons: Teravainen to Buffalo
Adams can't expect to land a player of Teravainen's caliber for spare parts and the Sabres GM has been extremely hesitant to make trades for established assets throughout his five-year tenure.
Augello estimated one of four players would likely have to serve as the core piece of a Teravainen trade: Zach Benson, Devon Levi, Noah Ostlund or Konsta Helenius.
Benson isn't going anywhere and Helenius is highly unlikely to move as he nears the NHL. Levi's availability is tied heavily to whether Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen can bounce back after an awful 2024-25 season. If not, Levi inches toward untouchable territory, too.
That leaves Ostlund as the preferred option from Buffalo's perspective, but Chicago would probably also want a roster player (Jack Quinn?) and an early-round draft pick if it's getting the lesser of the Sabres' top prospects as the deal's cornerstone.
The expected acquisition cost is really the only downside, however, and at some point Adams needs to make an all-in move to show the organization is serious about ending the playoff drought.
Verdict: Is a Sabres-Hawks swap possible?
Teravainen makes a ton of sense for Buffalo on the surface. A high-assist winger is pretty much No. 1 on the organization's wish list heading into the 2025-26 campaign. Having him under team control beyond the upcoming season is also a plus.
There's a potential hurdle, though: The 2015 Stanley Cup champion possesses an eight-team no-trade clause, and there's a reasonable chance the Sabres are on it given their 14-year absence from the postseason. So, he'd have to waive it to complete any deal.
That's another reason any potential trade probably wouldn't come together until closer to the deadline. If Buffalo can prove it's made legitimate strides toward playoff contention, it can at least make the case to Teravainen that he'd be the missing piece.
If that'd be successful is up for debate, especially if Cup contenders are also in the mix, but it's definitely a situation where the Sabres should be part of the conversations.
In the end, whether it's Teravainen or another forward, Buffalo likely needs to acquire another piece or two to seriously compete this season.