After much hype and tons of patience, the Buffalo Sabres are oh-so-close to be in a playoff position in the highly competitive Atlantic Division.
At the crucial U.S. Thanksgiving point in the current regular season, the Sabres are in fifth place in the Atlantic Division, just one point behind fourth-place Tampa Bay and two points behind third-place Boston, with Buffalo having two games in hand on the Bruins.
Despite stumbling out of the gate, the Sabres went 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. They are still in control of their destiny, with 60 games to do what they’ve been trying to do for 13 years. As per PuckPedia, they’ve got about $8.46 million in cap space to improve their roster. It’s time to take advantage of that.
Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams is under intense pressure to get the Sabres into the post-season for the first time since 2010-11, and he must acquire a high-impact player on offense. Buffalo currently sits 15th overall in the NHL at an average of 3.09 goals-for per game.
When the Sabres bought out left winger Jeff Skinner last summer after he had 24 goals and 46 points in 2023-24, they essentially were sending a message to their fan base and their players that the time is now for this team to turn the corner competitively and become a legitimate playoff squad. They didn’t just take on six years of buyout penalties to not use all the cap space they cleared for what would’ve been the final three years of Skinner’s contract worth $9 million annually.
This is why there’s so much pressure on Adams at the moment. He needs to add talent, and there’s no buts about it.
With second-line center Dylan Cozens currently struggling to put up points – he has just four goals and eight points in 22 games – the Sabres could make a move for someone like Flyers centers Morgan Frost or Scott Laughton and still have enough cap space to bolster their defense corps with an experienced veteran.
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Alternatively, Buffalo could target a higher-end player like Penguins right winger Bryan Rust, a two-time Stanley Cup winner who has another three years after this season at an annual cap hit of $5.125 million. The 32-year-old Rust has a full no-movement clause in his contract this season, but the possibility of joining an up-and-coming team and getting out of Pittsburgh’s rough current situation might be reason enough for Rust to accept a deal to the Sabres.
The Hockey News’ Michael DeRosa also suggested left winger Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers. If they want a goal-scorer whose cap hit isn’t as high as Skinner’s was, he is that guy. He’s got nine goals this season, he’s had three straight seasons of 35 goals or more, and he takes a ton of shots.
Related: Three Potential Trade Destinations For Rangers’ Chris Kreider
Regardless of who he brings in, Adams has to make at least one or two moves to improve his lineup. Buffalo has no excuses in their battle to earn a playoff berth, which means the Sabers must be in buyer mode on the trade market.
They’re so close to getting into a playoff position and have three-quarters of the season to lock it down. They just can’t finish in fifth place and find themselves one or two spots out of the wild-card mix at the end of the season. Adams can’t accept the status quo because Buffalo will be at a major crossroads again if they don’t secure at least a wild-card berth this year.
It’s put-up or shut-up time in Buffalo, and nothing less than a playoff spot will be acceptable for this franchise. Adding a player who can help them get there right now is a must.
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