Three Areas Of Real Need The Buffalo Sabres Should Address In Free Agency
Highlighting some potential moves for the Sabres...
NHL Free Agency begins on July 1 and the Buffalo Sabres will be a really compelling team to watch over the coming hours and days.
This is a team very much on the come, riding a rapid, upwards trajectory towards becoming an absolute juggernaut in the Eastern Conference.
Despite owning the youngest roster in 2022-23 with an average age of 26.1 (the league average was 28.4), the Sabres missed the postseason by a single point and flashed huge signs of improvement across the board.
Boasting a lineup stacked full of high-end young talent, with a sprinkling of some proven and reliable veterans, Buffalo ranked third in the entire NHL in Goals For (296) and third in Goals For Per Game (3.57). The Sabres also own one of the most loaded and talent-laden prospect pools in the game, and they are going to be a hell of a fun team to watch over the next few years.
However, as is the case with any team, there are some improvements to be made and slight kinks to be ironed out. As good as the Sabres were offensively last season, they were vulnerable in their own zone and there are holes to be filled on the backend.
With around $14 million in cap space, per the excellent CapFriendly (this site is a lifesaver this time of year), Buffalo will have the means to do some things in Free Agency. The main priority for General Manager Kevyn Adams will be working out extensions for stud defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see the Sabres try to re-sign depth forward Tyson Jost to a cheaper contract after not extending him a qualifying offer on Friday.
However, there’s other potential intriguing moves out there to be made by the Buffalo Sabres once NHL Free Agency opens at 12 P.M. ET on July 1, and I’m going to look at their three biggest areas of need, as well as some potential options.
Top 4 Veteran Defenseman
The Sabres already have their two cornerstones of the blueline in place in phenom defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. And, as already mentioned, it wouldn’t be surprising if both were signed to long-term extensions this offseason.
Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, has now blossomed into a legit No. 1 defenseman in the National Hockey League. He really broke out in 2022-23, earning votes for the Norris Trophy after putting up 15 goals and 58 assists for 73 points in 78 games. He also recorded 132 blocked shots and 105 hits while averaging 25:48 of total ice time a night. Plus, Dahlin proved emphatically that he’s not just a one-way player having racked up an impressive array of bone-crushing hits throughout last season. He’s finally morphed into the all-doing, dominating force the hockey world thought he could be and, at just 23-years-old, he’s only going to get better. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually wears the ‘C’ on his chest.
As for Power, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft enjoyed a fine rookie year last season. He made the 2022-23 All-Rookie team and finished third in Calder Trophy voting. The left-shot defenseman tallied 35 points (4 G, 31 A) in 79 games, averaged 23:48 of total ice time and finished the year with a CF% of 51.8%.
Now, the Sabres have their top pairing set with Dahlin and the ever-reliable and steady Mattias Samuelsson. However, it is no secret that GM Kevyn Adams is on the hunt for another top-4 blueliner and a veteran who could act as a steady figure alongside Power. After all, as good as the Sabres were offensively last year, it was their defense that let them down. They ranked 26th in Goals Against Per Game (3.62). It is believed the Sabres are exploring a trade for Brett Pesce if the 28-year-old can’t come to terms on a new contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. Another trade candidate is left-shot D Noah Hanifin, who is all but certain to be dealt by the Calgary Flames this offseason.
Both Pesce and Hanifin would be clear upgrades for the Sabres, and either player would ensure this team has one of the best top-four defensive units in the NHL. However, if the package is too expensive for either player at this time, there are some potential cheap short-term stopgaps available on the free agent market.
While Scott Mayfield and Dmitry Orlov are the pick of the bunch - and probably too rich for Buffalo’s blood (put Matt Dumba in that category too) - Ryan Graves could be a nice depth option for a couple of years. The veteran had a +/- rating of +34 in 78 games for the New Jersey Devils in 2022-23 and he’s still young-ish at 28. Radko Gudas, who is just coming off a trip to the Stanley Cup Final with the Florida Panthers, is a bid-bodied defenseman who would free up Power more offensively, and Seattle Kraken blueliner Carson Soucy fits into that latter category too.
Again, the trade route is probably the best option for Buffalo in terms of adding a legit top-four right-shot defenseman, but it is feasible that they could use Free Agency to sign a veteran on a cost-effective deal who could add some much-needed depth and experience to that backend.
Goaltending
This is an intriguing one for Buffalo.
Devon Levi emerged as the potential goalie of the future for the Sabres in 2022-23, putting up a highly-impressive 2.94 Goals-Against Average and a .905 Save Percentage with a 5-2 record down the stretch.
It appears as though Adams and the rest of the front office have full faith in Levi going forward, and they could opt to roll out a tandem of Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who went 17-11 last year with a 3.61 GAA and a .892 SV%. There’s Eric Comrie too, who went 9-9 in 2022-23 with a 3.67 GAA and a .886 SV%.
However, if the Sabres really want to bridge the gap in 2023-24 and end their 12-year postseason drought, it would behoove them to bring in an established and proven veteran during NHL Free Agency.
There’s a slew of compelling options too. Semyon Varlamov could get more money elsewhere but he has an impressive track record and would be able to split the workload with Levi pretty evenly next season, taking a lot of pressure off of the rookie. Varlamov had a .913 SV% and a 2.70 GAA in 23 games for the New York Islanders in 2022-23.
Joonas Korpisalo is in a similar mold having put up a 2.87 Goals-Against Average and a .914 Save Percentage last year for the LA Kings, while Antti Raanta went 19-3 with a .910 SV% and a 2.23 GAA to go along with four shutouts in 27 games for the Carolina Hurricanes. Both players would come fairly cheap, and both would act as a vital veteran presence and a mentor for Levi. If the Sabres are serious about taking that next step in 2023-24, they need a proven veteran goalie as part of their tandem.
Depth Scoring
The general consensus heading into NHL Free Agency was that the Buffalo Sabres were never going to be paying big bucks for one of the top forwards available. That rules out a Patrick Kane homecoming, I’m afraid, Sabres fans.
That thinking doesn’t appear to have changed even in the wake of the devastating news we got on Thursday that stud RW Jack Quinn, who had an impressive rookie year in 2022-23 with 37 points (14 G, 23 A) in 75 games, will miss around six months after suffering a ruptured Achilles during a training session.
Now, while that is a massive blow, it isn’t one that will sink the Sabres. After all, they boast a loaded pipeline stacked full of blue-chip offensive prospects who are on the cusp of being NHL ready. It is feasible that Jiri Kulich could begin the year in the NHL after an outstanding season in the AHL, where he put up 46 points (24 G, 22 A) in 62 games with the Rochester Americans. The left-shot also tallied 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in the American Hockey League Playoffs. Kulich is a rising star and he should be given a chance to crack the Opening Night roster for the Sabres at the very least. Lukas Rousek, who played two games in the NHL in 2022-23 and recorded 56 points (16 G, 40 A) for the Amerks in the AHL, could be another short-term option to replace Quinn.
However, outside of that, there is a firm argument to be made that the Sabres could benefit from some depth scoring. One really intriguing option is Tomáš Tatar, who could add some secondary scoring from the third-line or be bumped up to the second-line if Kulich and Rousek aren’t NHL ready. Tatar can be used in all situations and he’s coming off a 48-point season for the New Jersey Devils. He would be an excellent addition at the right price and he could still add a real offensive punch to most lineups.
Another road to go down for Buffalo is, in order to bump Peyton Krebs higher up the lineup, to go out and add a cost-effective piece that can slot in on the fourth-line. Lars Eller, who has won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals and been a regular visitor to the postseason, would come cheap and would be a really nice fit in the bottom-six for this young Sabres team. J.T. Compher would be a younger upgrade in the same type of role, but he may cost more than Eller would.
Garnet Hathaway would bring experience and toughness to the bottom-six for Buffalo, while Connor Brown plays a real hard-nosed game and is capable of putting up between 30-40 points from the third-line.
There’s plenty of options out there for the Buffalo Sabres and, if they are smart, they could end up finishing the first day of NHL Free Agency having bolstered their roster significantly and having addressed a few key areas of need.
