Sabres roundtable: Which position or player should GM Kevyn Adams acquire?
How should the Sabres approach the NHL's March 7 deadline? Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington answer that question, as well as a few others, in this roundtable.
A pause of the NHL’s regular season will last until Saturday, when the Sabres host the New York Rangers in KeyBank Center.
The Sabres’ break won’t last much longer, though. Players must be back in Buffalo before Tuesday, when coach Lindy Ruff holds his first of four practices before the season resumes.
The Sabres have 28 games remaining, and they remain last in the Eastern Conference with a 22-27-5 record. General manager Kevyn Adams is trying to sign pending unrestricted free agents Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway prior to the NHL’s trade deadline on March 7.
How should the Sabres approach the deadline? Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington answer that question, as well as a few others, in this roundtable:
1. If the Sabres make a big move before the trade deadline, which position or whom should they acquire?
Lysowski: Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson.He has a right-handed shot, one year remaining on a contract that counts $4.55 million against the salary cap and a track record of playing top- or second-pair minutes. Andersson, 28, has the potential to be the defense partner the Sabres need for Owen Power. There are a few potential roadblocks, though.
Andersson has a six-team no-trade list, and his defensive metrics have been shaky since the Flames fired Darryl Sutter as coach in 2023. Would a change of scenery bring out more in Andersson? Can Buffalo afford to re-sign Andersson and Bowen Byram? The Sabres could acquire Andersson, sign Byram to a short-term contract, then decide which one to pay. Andersson’s relationship with Rasmus Dahlin would help.
The Sabres could build a trade package around 2024 first-round draft pick Konsta Helenius if the Flames are willing to accept prospects and picks for Andersson. Zach Whitecloud of the Vegas Golden Knights would be a perfect fit, but they’re not trading him to Buffalo unless someone like Alex Tuch is going the other way. The Sabres should keep productive veterans like Tuch.
Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson would fit on the Sabres’ blue line if general manager Kevyn Adams can complete a trade. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Harrington: They have to acquire another veteran right-handed defenseman, likely one to play on the second pair alongside Owen Power. Can Adams replicate deals of previous seasons, when he acquired players with terms on their contracts in Greenway and Byram? What would it take to get involved with the Islanders in a deal for Noah Dobson?
Dobson, a 2018 first-rounder, just changed agents and that has Islanders fans buzzing. He’s a restricted free agent making $4 million this season who had 60 assists and 70 points last season but has just 18 assists and 24 points this year while dealing with injuries.
2. Would you sign Bowen Byram to a long-term contract worth nearly $9 million per season, even if you’re committing nearly $30 million to three defensemen?
Lysowski: Sign him as soon as possible. I understand the skepticism because Byram’s underlying metrics away from Dahlin are not strong, but what do you expect when Byram’s other common partner is Owen Power? The latter is only 22 years old and still learning how to defend in the NHL. It wouldn’t be difficult to trade Byram or Power later if the Sabres need to create cap space or choose to allocate resources elsewhere. It’s important to retain good players, especially those with Byram’s age, skill set and Stanley Cup pedigree.Harrington: Byram’s deal is going to have to start with a 9, when you consider the Sabres woefully overpaid Power ($8.35 million) and he hasn’t been nearly as productive. Byram is the best partner Dahlin has had during his NHL career and now is not the time to cut bait on that kind of chemistry.
The annual outlay on defense of $11 million for Dahlin, $9 million-plus for Byram and $8.35 for Power isn’t much of a concern when you consider the expected sharp rise in the cap over the next three years. And maybe someone will take Mattias Samuelsson’s $4.285 annual deal off your hands and ease that issue.
3. Should the Sabres keep Dylan Cozens or trade him?
Lysowski: Trading Cozens only makes sense if the return is significant. The Sabres can’t become too thin at center if they plan to compete for a playoff spot in 2025-26.Jiri Kulich is just 20 years old. Minor injuries have forced Tage Thompson to temporarily move to right wing in three consecutive seasons. Helenius and Noah Ostlund are talented prospects but neither has played an NHL game. Ryan McLeod is a pending restricted free agent who’s never scored more than 12 goals in a season. Peyton Krebs has 24 goals in 268 NHL games. Tyson Kozak is only 22 years old and lacks Cozens’ offensive upside.
Cozens is just 24 years old, and he’s two seasons removed from producing 31 goals. A swath of the fan base argues that season was a one-off, but it’s not a coincidence that more than half of the league’s general managers have contacted Adams about Cozens. He’s a young, talented player under contract for five more seasons. Look at how many former Sabres who have succeeded after leaving. And, while Cozens isn’t producing as expected, he’s on pace for career highs in average ice time per game and faceoff win percentage. The Sabres would be wrong to sell low.
Harrington: Their first priority should be to keep him. He’s a right-shot center two years removed from a 31-goal, 68-point season. He hasn’t been able to come close to those figures since, but it would have to be at least another year before you can call them strict outlier numbers.
The Sabres are not initiating all the trade calls for Cozens. They’re getting flooded with inquiries because there aren’t many players with his skill set and set contract terms out there. It should give them pause. If you want a quality NHL defenseman in return, you may have to part with Cozens. But it should be an outgrowth of whatever talks are initiated and not an objective to move him.
4. Which storyline or player are you most interested to monitor over the final 28 games?
Lysowski: Aside from the trade deadline, or looming changes to the coaching staff, the Sabres’ promising young players are the storyline to watch.Is Kulich going to hold on to the first-line center job? His nine goals since Dec. 1 are tied with 2024 top overall pick Macklin Celebrini of the Sharks for the most by any rookie. Are we going to see a resurgence from Jack Quinn and, if not, what does that mean for his future in Buffalo? Quietly, Krebs has become of the team’s most reliable forwards in the defensive zone, but he needs to start producing offensively if his role is going to continue to grow. The Sabres need a breakthrough from Power. Don’t let the hiccups in the defensive zone sour you on a defenseman with his upside. Remember, Victor Hedman had a similar start to a career that will land him in the Hall of Fame.
Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen hasn't lived up to his contract thus far this season. Could he become a trade chip? Joed Viera, Buffalo News
Harrington: Watch the goaltending. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (3.02/.895) simply hasn’t been good enough in the first season of his five-year, $23.75 million contract. The cap hit of $4.75 million is an excellent one – if you’re getting good production. A GAA over 3.00 and save percentage under .900 isn’t remotely good.
What if Devon Levi continues to go wild in Rochester and leads the Amerks on a long Calder Cup run and Luukkonen struggles more in these next two months in Buffalo? Does Luukkonen’s age (25) and cost certainty make another team say with their coaching and defensive structure that he could be a fit in goal? If Luukkonen struggles the rest of the way, how tempted would the Sabres be to ponder Levi and another veteran in goal next season?