Buffalo Sabres Unlikely To Pursue Rental Players

The Buffalo Sabres have experienced a franchise rejuvenation this season, going from last place in the entire league to must-see hockey on a nightly basis. The team sits third place in the Atlantic Division with a two-point lead over the Boston Bruins, and are one of the most exciting groups in the entire NHL to watch. The additions of forwards like Vladimir Sobotka, Conor Sheary and most importantly Jeff Skinner have spread out their offense and allowed them to roll dangerous lines out on a more consistent basis. That early success has led some to wonder if the team will cash in some of their future assets to pour gasoline on the rebuild, acquiring rental players at the deadline to help along the 2019 playoff push. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet throws some cold water on that fire, saying that he’s heard the opposite. Buffalo isn’t looking for rentals, but could be interested in more young players under team control.

Speculation will continue to run rampant because of the Sabres’ stocked draft cupboard. The team holds three first-round picks in the upcoming draft, including those from the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues. While the Blues pick could potentially be pushed to 2020 if St. Louis ends up with a top-10 selection, the Sabres are still set to add some big pieces to their future in June. Adding more talented prospects to a rebuild that is already obviously heading in the right direction is fun, but if the team believes they can compete in the short term there might be reason to buy at the deadline.

Interestingly though, the Sabres actually could be in a position to be one of the biggest sellers if they so chose. While they hope to re-sign Skinner to a long-term deal, he would be one of the most sought after commodities on the market if put up for sale. The 26-year old forward is a pending unrestricted free agent and is experiencing a career renaissance in Buffalo, registering 21 goals through his first 31 games. Even Jason Pominville, now 35, could draw some interest despite his hefty cap hit. That $5.6MM number looks a lot smaller as the deadline approaches, and with 18 points in 29 games there is obviously still talent there. Nathan Beaulieu, Jake McCabe, Zemgus Girgensons and Johan Larsson are all pending restricted free agents with unclear futures in Buffalo, while veteran defensemen like Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian are only under contract for one more season.

Obviously the Sabres won’t trade away the whole team if they’re in a position to make the playoffs, but it will be interesting to see what happens if they struggle over the next two months. Despite their success the team is still very early in a rebuild that could end up putting them among the league’s elite if done correctly, but there is no clear blue print on how that is done.