The Buffalo Sabres enter the offseason as a team motivated to make changes after missing the playoffs for the 14th straight season, but GM Kevyn Adams may be facing a bigger challenge than expected this summer. Not only does he have to deal with RFA defenseman Bowen Byram and the contractual situation of winger JJ Peterka, the NHL landscape is in flux due to the increase of the salary cap over the next three seasons.
Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic on TSN1050’s Overdrive said that based on the chatter from league GM’s and player agents going into the offseason, there are no sellers other than the Pittsburgh Penguins, and that bottom-dwelling teams like the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks, and teams on the cusp like the Utah Mammoth are looking to buy either in free agency or in the trade market.
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This trend was reflected in the Chris Kreider deal to Anaheim on Thursday. The Ducks have a young core group and added veteran blueliners Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba last season. GM Pat Verbeek hired three-time Cup winning head coach Joel Quenneville and is expected to be a player in free agency to get Anaheim back in the playoffs.
How does this affect the Sabres? In the positive column, there are likely plenty of clubs who are interested in dealing for a potential top-pairing blueliner in Byram or a young scoring winger in Peterka, but the negative is if everyone is interested in buying, there may not be many clubs who are willing to swap players under control back to Buffalo. Another issue is the willingness of the Sabres to get in a bidding war for free agents. In spite of Adams claiming that he has never been denied any financial resources by owner Terry Pegula, Buffalo the last two years has not come close to spending to the cap. The trade market is also filled with potholes, since many players likely have Buffalo crossed off as a destination on their no-trade list.
With all these factors, it may be close to impossible to make the changes necessary for the Sabres a playoff contender.
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