The Buffalo Sabres are heading into the off-season knowing they have some money to spend on free agents — not as much money as some teams, but right now, they have approximately $21.4 million in salary cap space to use.
Some of that cap space will go to RFA defenseman Bowen Byram, but even with a healthy raise for Byram and Buffalo’s other free agents, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams can acquire a veteran or two to help his team’s playoff chances next season. But the big question is, who do they spend it on?
Now, please don’t answer “Mitch Marner” for that question. Even if Marner does leave Toronto — and we’re now of the opinion that he is going to leave the Maple Leafs — it’s highly-unlikely he’ll choose the Sabres as his next home. When you don’t make the Stanley Cup playoffs for nearly a decade-and-a-half, you fall down the wish list of most high-end free agents.
So, the question then is, “who is a reasonable target for Buffalo this off-season?” And there are many options for the Sabres to try and lure with a lucrative contract offer.
For instance, would Chicago Blackhawks center Ryan Donato be a fit? He’s had a terrific season, with 31 goals and 62 points for the Hawks. And he’s earned just $2 million this season, so Buffalo would have to pay him considerably more. But what about Ottawa Senators center Claude Giroux make sense? He’s a relative greybeard at 37 years old, but for the right amount of money, he might be convinced to leave the Sens for the Sabres.
As well, there’s Carolina Hurricanes center Jack Roslovic to consider; he’s just 28 years old, but he’s had a solid year and would get a significant raise on his current $2.8-million salary. Finally, perhaps native Western New Yorker Patrick Kane could be persuaded to come home for the remainder of his NHL career; he’s making $4-million this season with the Detroit Red Wings, so he may be a less-costly alternative.
We could go up and down the list of UFAs, but check for yourself, and feel free to suggest other free agent targets for Buffalo this summer in the comments section below. Some player or another has to take the Sabres’ money, but the challenge for Adams is to sell the organization to NHLers, whether they’re up-and-comers, players nearing the end of their playing days, or someone in-between.
In any case, it will be fascinating to see what Buffalo can do with their cap space, because the way they spend it could be the difference between ending or extending their playoff drought.
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