We’re a week away from the draft and the first time this off season where Buffalo could make a significant move to improve their roster. As the draft approaches it signifies something completely different for me. Since Adams has become the GM I’ve argued patience when it came to Buffalo’s young assets and to continue to build through the draft. But now the time has come to weaponize those assets and to make a push back to NHL relevancy. An opinion most, if not all, Sabre fans share as we approach the draft. Where Buffalo is fortunate is having a young core locked up that looks ready to make their next jump while also having plenty of trade capital. To improve the roster I believe Kevyn needs to address these areas between now and the start of the season.
- Turning Young Forwards Into Veteran Forwards
One key I believe to the Sabres immediate success is getting more experience up front, preferably in the middle 6. In my opinion, the best avenue for doing this is by trading away some of the young forwards they’ve collected over the last several years. Cozens, Krebs, Peterka, Quinn, and Benson are all young players who have already secured a spot on the roster. In addition Savoie, Kulich, and Rosen all look poised to make a roster push after strong seasons in the AHL and Juniors. While Savoie, Kulich, and Rosen don’t need to play in the NHL next season they’re reaching a point in their development where they’re value will start decreasing if they don’t make the big club or suffer an injury. Making a trade now after a strong season makes a ton of sense and would be in Buffalo’s best interest.
Before mentioning my preferred trade targets, I believe trading 11 isn’t a great option for a couple reasons. The biggest reason is I don’t think the pick holds enough value to add a quality middle 6 forward. If another team valued Buffalo’s pick and wanted to make it a centerpiece of the trade I wouldn’t be opposed to a deal, I just don’t think it’s likely. A secondary reason I’d hold on to the pick is I believe there is still value in adding young players to the organization. Buffalo is overloaded with players on the cusp of the NHL. As they graduate it will still be crucial for the Sabres to have young players in Rochester to provide organizational depth.
If Buffalo does choose to weaponize their young capital they’re most likely doing it for a third line center or middle six winger. The player at the top of my list is Pavel Buchnevich from St. Louis. Buchnevich would likely be the hardest player to acquire because of the assets it would require to obtain him and his expiring contract after next season. With the assets it would take to acquire him and contact to keep him it could be the move that also leads to a Skinner buyout(more on that later). A more realistic option at wing is Joel Farabee. There have been rumors Farabee could be on the market and at his age (24) and with four years of team control at a five million cap hit he could fit into the Sabres core nicely for years to come. Center could be a tough position to fill with players who are rumored to be available via trade. The option that makes the most sense via trade would be Sam Bennett. Bennett would require a contract extension after next year but would be the perfect fit as a third line center.
- Special Teams
Buffalo needs to figure out their special teams going into next year. Buffalo missed the playoffs by 7 points while having the 13th ranked penalty kill and 29th ranked power play. While adding some new talent will help the biggest improvement in special teams needs to come in individual play and scheme. With Dahlin, Power, and Thompson Buffalo has three players who should be elite on the power play. When you add in Byram, Tuch, Cozens, Quinn, and Peterka It gives you 8 players who should be excellent on the power play. If Buffalo wants to make a return to the playoffs next year they can’t have a bottom 5 unit in the league.
The penalty kill was respectable last year and has room to grow into a top 10 unit this year. Buffalo looks to be strong in net and defensively going into next year which is a huge advantage. The biggest question will be who are the forwards on the kill next year. Cozens and Krebs are two young players that Buffalo wants to be two way forwards and can maybe make a jump next year. At the start of the year Buffalo may rely on Greenway and Thompson for the top unit but will need to develop or acquire another player or two to make another jump this year.
- Become Harder to Play Against
One of the most overused and one of my least favorite cliches in hockey. Mainly because there’s this outdated thought that if you have a Matt Rempe or some other goon on your team to be hard to play against. What it really means in my opinion is to increase your compete level with an increase in physicality being a byproduct of that. I believe that hiring Lindy Ruff will help this concern a lot especially after hearing players begging for accountability after the season. Addressing my first point of becoming more veteran up front I believe will help. The rest is going to come down to roster construction and deciding who stays and who goes.
Jeff Skinner will be the first person that comes to mind because of his rumored buyout and one way game. If Buffalo keeps him they have to keep him on the top line and live with the defensive deficiencies. Throughout his career he’s shown he can not be a reliable player if he’s not playing with a top center. With that being said, he can still score 30+ goals if you use him on your top line. If it were me, I’d keep Skinner with the plan of playing with Thompson and not making another hole to replace on your roster. If Buffalo decided to buy him out with the goal of more roster flexibility I wouldn’t fault them. But I believe there are players you can add to achieve this goal while keeping Skinner.
Alex Wennberg or Chandler Stephenson would be my target if I were Kevyn Adams. The biggest factor will be how much is Buffalo willing to pay to add a third line center. If they swing a trade for a player like Buchnevich it might be more cap then they want to add. If they don’t, it would be worth it to add a player who could anchor your third line with Jordan Greenway and Zach Benson but can also play up in the lineup when needed. Filling out the rest of the bottom 6 is where Buffalo would have to balance youth and experience. I have no issue with counting on Krebs as the 4C starting next year as he continues to develop. Greenway gives you flexibility as 3rd or 4th line winger as well. But I believe Buffalo would still need to add a player like Yakov Trenin as well. Trenin and the addition of a third line center would solidify their bottom 6 and make the Sabres a more complete team heading into next year.
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