Sabres winger Alex Tuch has been involved in plenty of trade speculation lately with teams believed to be calling Buffalo to see if they might consider moving him. However, if he has his way, he won’t be going anywhere. Tuch told Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News that he remains “heavily committed to this organization” and still hopes to be with the team past the upcoming trade deadline. The 28-year-old has 19 goals and 24 assists in 54 games this season on Buffalo’s top line and is only two years removed from a 79-point campaign. He’s one of their better bargains at a $4.75MM price tag which means that if the Sabres do decide to move him, they’ll be in line to land a significant return for his services. But it doesn’t sound like that’s the direction that Tuch would like to see things go.
Sabres Rumors
Tage Thompson To Serve As Standby Player For Team USA
Team USA has been given permission to bring Sabres center Tage Thompson and Devils defenseman Brett Pesce to Boston as standby players for Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off finale, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. As was the case with Quinn Hughes who was initially intended as the reserve player, the only way Thompson or Pesce could suit up versus Canada is if Team USA drops below 12 healthy forwards or six healthy blueliners. Thompson was one of the more notable omissions from the initial roster and is averaging a point per game through 48 outings in Buffalo. Meanwhile, Pesce has been as advertised in his first season with New Jersey, logging nearly 21 minutes a night in a shutdown role in his 48 appearances.
Could Byram's Next Contract Surpass $9MM Per Season?
Between the pending jump in the salary cap over the next few seasons and the fact the Sabres are paying Owen Power $8.35MM, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News believes that blueliner Bowen Byram’s next contract could run past the $9MM range. The 23-year-old has already matched his career high in points, notching 29 through Buffalo’s first 54 games. He’s also averaging more than 23 minutes a night of playing time, a number that would also be a career-best if that holds up down the stretch. Giving Byram that much would have the Sabres spending close to $30MM on their top three defenders but it would also give them plenty of upside at that position for a while. Byram is a pending restricted free agent with salary arbitration eligibility this summer and will be owed a $4.62MM qualifying offer in late June.
Kozak Likely To Be Recalled After Break
- Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News suggests that it’s unlikely that center Tyson Kozak will remain in the minors once NHL play resumes next Saturday. The 22-year-old has played in 11 games so far with Buffalo where he has a goal and a 48.1% success rate at the faceoff dot in 10:25 per night of playing time. Lysowski notes that Kozak’s defensive play has drawn praise from Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff but on the other hand, playing a young prospect that little might not be the most ideal option from a longer-term development perspective.
Sabres And Jason Zucker Have Started Extension Talks
Veteran winger Jason Zucker has been a nice addition for the Sabres this season and he is on pace for one of his best offensive years. As a pending unrestricted free agent, Buffalo will soon have a decision to make in terms of flipping him by the March 7th trade deadline or trying to sign him to a contract extension. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported earlier this week that their preference is the latter as the two sides recently held preliminary discussions about a new deal.
The 33-year-old played on a one-year contract last season, splitting time between Arizona and Nashville. However, he was only able to collect 14 goals and 18 assists in 69 regular season games between the two sides which didn’t help his market value heading into free agency last summer. As a result, Zucker ultimately settled for another one-year pact in July, signing for $5MM.
That deal has worked out well for both sides. Zucker has already surpassed his numbers from last season, putting up 18 goals and 23 assists in 52 games. His 41 points put him fourth on the team in scoring but only two points behind Rasmus Dahlin for a share of second place. Barring injury, Zucker appears to be well on his way toward recording his seventh career season of at least 20 goals.
Last month, Zucker acknowledged that he’d be interested in extending his stay with Buffalo. Speculatively, he’d want a multi-year agreement this time around and according to Lysowski, that appears to be something that’s on the table. With a $7.5MM jump in the Upper Limit of the salary cap coming next season, Zucker now should be able to land a small raise on his current price tag as well.
Lysowski adds that GM Kevyn Adams’ preference is to not sell over the next three weeks despite their placement at the bottom of the Eastern Conference so clearly, his preference is to get a new agreement in place. However, it appears that if Zucker prefers to move on and land with a contender, they will grant that request and then attempt to bring him back in the summer. In the meantime, they have three more weeks to see if contract discussions can yield a new deal.
No Extension Talks Yet With Greenway
Discussions about a possible contract extension have not started between the Sabres and pending UFA winger Jordan Greenway, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The trade deadline is now less than a month away but it doesn’t appear discussions about a possible new deal will begin until much closer to that time though there is believed to be mutual interest in getting an agreement in place. Greenway is expected to return from his mid-body injury after the break, an injury that will have kept him out for more than two months. The 27-year-old has three goals and four assists in 20 games this season and will likely be heading for a small raise on his current $3MM price tag on his next contract.
Sabres Reassign Isak Rosen
High-end Sabres prospect Isak Rosen is headed back to the minors, the team announced. They’re back to having an open roster spot after loaning him to AHL Rochester.
Rosen, 22 in March, is in the second season of his entry-level contract. Drafted 14th overall in 2021, he’s now in his third campaign with Rochester and has seen steady offensive development. The Swedish winger led Rochester in scoring when Buffalo recalled him on Monday in the wake of an upper-body injury to Tage Thompson, posting 23-16–39 in 40 games.
Buffalo had just one game this week, a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Rosen skated 11:46 in that appearance, his second of the season after a brief recall in November, but only mustered a shot on goal with a minus-one rating.
In nine NHL appearances across the past two seasons, the No. 4 prospect in Buffalo’s pool (per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic) has struggled to make an impact despite his continued development in the AHL. He’s still looking for his first NHL point with a minus-four rating, a deserved one as his 41.1 career CF% at even strength indicates. He hasn’t seen much usage high in the lineup, averaging 8:42 per game, but he still hasn’t quite seemed able to keep pace in sheltered usage.
He’ll go back to the minors now with Thompson expected to return to action tomorrow against the Predators, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters, including Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. It’ll only be a one-game absence for him after he was hit hard in the third period of last Sunday’s win over the Devils by Stefan Noesen.
The Sabres are also tracking to activate Tyson Kozak from injured reserve after missing two games with an illness, and starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected back between the pipes after sitting out the Columbus game for undisclosed reasons, Ruff said. Activating Kozak will require another roster move, presumably reassigning recent goalie call-up Felix Sandström to Rochester if Luukkonen is back.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Buffalo Sabres
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR is looking at every NHL team and giving a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up is the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres
Current Cap Hit: $82,494,010 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Zach Benson (two years, $950K)
F Jiri Kulich (three years, $886.7K)
F JJ Peterka (one year, $855.8K)
F Jack Quinn (one year, $863.3K)
Potential Bonuses
Benson: $650K
Quinn: $850K
Total: $1.5MM
Benson had a solid rookie season last year after somewhat surprisingly making the team out of training camp. However, his per-game output has actually dipped this season which isn’t ideal and has him on pace to miss his ‘A’ bonuses. At this point, it would be surprising to see the Sabres prioritizing a long-term deal on his next contract; a bridge pact with an AAV around the $3MM mark is the likelier outcome. Kulich is just starting out in the NHL which makes his next agreement difficult to forecast. Based on his early production though, he’d be trending toward a bridge deal as well.
Quinn is someone who Buffalo likely hoped would be a candidate for a long-term pact but injuries last year didn’t help in that regard, nor have his struggles this year. A bridge contract could still land around the $4MM mark, however, and with there still being some uncertainty about him, it makes sense for both sides to lean that way. In the meantime, he’ll need to pick up the pace offensively to have a shot at any of his ‘A’ bonuses. Peterka is someone who should get consideration for a long-term deal, however. After putting up 50 points last year, he’s on pace to beat that this season and has established himself as a legitimate top-six winger. With another big increase in the salary cap coming, there’s a chance Peterka could become their highest-paid forward, surpassing the $7.15MM mark on a long-term agreement.
Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Jacob Bryson ($900K, UFA)
D Bowen Byram ($3.85MM, RFA)
D Dennis Gilbert ($825K, UFA)
F Jordan Greenway ($3MM, UFA)
D Henri Jokiharju ($3.1MM, UFA)
F Ryan McLeod ($2.1MM, RFA)
G James Reimer ($1MM, UFA)
F Jason Zucker ($5MM, UFA)
Zucker has been a very nice pickup in his second straight year of playing on a one-year pillow contract in the hopes of restoring his market value. The last one didn’t go so well but this one has as he’s playing at an offensive pace close to his career year back in 2017-18. That should help his chances of securing at least a multi-year agreement this time around. However, because of his age (33) and his inconsistency with other teams in recent years, Zucker may be hard-pressed to command top dollar on that multi-year deal. Instead, that deal might not cost a whole lot more than what he’s getting now if teams have any doubts about his ability to fit in with them based on what happened elsewhere.
Greenway has shown flashes of being an impact player since being acquired two years ago but staying healthy has been a concern. Nonetheless, a 6’6 power forward is going to garner plenty of interest on the open market. Missing more than half the season so far with injuries won’t help his cause but even with that, a small increase in pay and another multi-year agreement should be coming his way.
McLeod has fared well in his first season since coming over from Edmonton and is nearing his career highs offensively from last year. Assuming he reaches those thresholds, the improved production and arbitration eligibility could push him closer to the $3.5MM range on a contract that buys a year or two of team control. Aube-Kubel has had some success as a fourth liner in the past but that hasn’t happened yet this year. He had enough of a market to garner more than expected last summer but recently cleared waivers and was sent to the minors where he still partially counts against the cap. As a result, his next deal seems likely to come in close to the minimum salary.
Byram is the headliner among the defensemen. He’s on pace to shatter his personal bests offensively, plays in all situations, and has stayed healthy which is notable for someone with his concussion history. While the Sabres could opt for another short-term deal, the likelier outcome is a long-term agreement. With his output this season and arbitration rights, that could push his price tag into the $7MM range. Can they afford that long-term with two big deals already on the books on the back end? That’s a decision they’ll have to make.
Jokiharju has seen his stock fall sharply. He’s no longer in Buffalo’s top four on the back end and his level of play has suffered for it, hardly ideal heading into his first trip through unrestricted free agency. Still, he’s going to be a rare 26-year-old UFA (thanks to reaching seven years of service time) and is a right-shot player who has logged 20 minutes a game in the past. Accordingly, even with his decline in performance, he could still come in pretty close to this price tag in July. Bryson took a greater than 50% pay cut to stay with Buffalo in the summer and has had a very limited role thus far. With that in mind, he’ll likely stay around this price point as will Gilbert who has played even less.
Reimer was originally signed to be the veteran third-string option but after being reacquired on waivers early in the season, the plan changed and he stayed in Buffalo while Devon Levi went to the minors to play more minutes. (While Levi has gotten a spot start here and there since then, he’s not on the verge of meeting any bonuses which is why he wasn’t mentioned with the entry-level players.) Reimer has played limited minutes and is more of a lower-end backup or third-string option so he could wind up coming closer to the league minimum of $775K next time out.
Signed Through 2025-26
D Connor Clifton ($3.33MM, UFA)
F Peyton Krebs ($1.45MM, RFA)
F Sam Lafferty ($2MM, UFA)
F Beck Malenstyn ($1.35MM, UFA)
F Alex Tuch ($4.75MM, UFA)
Tuch was a legitimate top-line point-per-game player in 2022-23 but hasn’t been able to produce at the same level since then and his numbers are down again this year. Even so, he’s still an all-situations player in a prominent role while making second-line money. Even with the drop in scoring, he’d likely pass the $7MM mark if he hit the open market today, a number that would only go up if he gets back to his level of production from a couple of years ago. Lafferty was brought in as part of the revamp on the fourth line and hasn’t been as impactful as the team expected. If that continues into next season, a small cut in pay seems likely though his overall track record is good enough to prevent him from facing any sort of steep drop.
Krebs hasn’t been able to become an impactful producer just yet at the NHL level. One of the key pieces of the Jack Eichel trade, he has been more of a depth middleman than a top-six center of the future. He’s at least doing better than last season which should buy him more rope from a development perspective but it’s hard to see him landing a long-term agreement on his next deal if this continues. But with arbitration rights, doubling his current price tag is doable. Malenstyn was the other player brought in to change up the fourth line and has fit in well in that role while playing less than he was in his career year with Washington last season. If he remains a prominent hitter, he could push past $2MM in 2026.
Clifton’s contract was a bit of a headscratcher at the time and it hasn’t panned out thus far. Being a right-shot defender certainly helps his value but being limited to third-pairing duty doesn’t. Assuming he stays in this role moving forward, he might land closer to $2.5MM next time out, even with a higher salary cap by then.
Cozens Dealing With Lower-Body Aggravation
- Sabres center Dylan Cozens did not take part in practice today with what head coach Lindy Ruff called a lower-body aggravation, notes team reporter Jourdon LaBarber. His status for Saturday’s game against Nashville is up in the air as a result. It has been a quiet year for Cozens who has 10 goals and 16 assists in 53 games, numbers that are underwhelming for one of their top-paid forwards which has resulted in plenty of trade speculation.
Trade Interest Growing For Sabres’ Dylan Cozens
Buffalo Sabres’ centerman Dylan Cozens has been at the focal point of trade rumors all season long – but the recent moves of fellow top trade candidates Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Miller, Marcus Pettersson, and Mikael Granlund have made the spotlight even hotter. Cozens now sits as one of the most desired forwards on the trade market. In addition to the Calgary Flames, who were attached to Cozens in mid-January, the Sabres are also said to be receiving interest from the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs, per NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes.
Cozens seems next in the line of young, productive centermen who can’t quite figure it out in Buffalo. He has just 10 goals and 26 points through 53 games. That’s an 82-game pace of just 40 points, which would continue Cozens’ slide in production over the last three seasons. He posted a career-high 31 goals and 68 points in 81 games in the 2022-23 season but fell to just 18 goals and 47 points last year. That halt in scoring has persisted despite Cozens’ role growing over the last two years. His average ice time has climbed from 16:30 in his career year to 17:30 this season – and he’s improved in his ability to win faceoffs and limit opponent shots, evidenced by a 50.4 faceoff-percentage and 49.84 Corsi-for-percentage (CF%). Cozens has shown a lot of strength as a speedy and controlled play-driver, capable of working well with his teammates when they have momentum – though Buffalo hasn’t had the chance to support his style well for much of the year.
Perhaps more notable than his stats is Cozens’ age. He’s still only 23 years old and already has one 30-goal season under his belt. He ranks ninth among all active U24 forwards in career scoring with 192 points in 333 games, in company with players like Brady Tkachuk and Cole Caufield. Those numbers are slightly skewed by Cozens breaking into the league at age 19, though his 0.58 points-per-game scoring still sits among players like Mason McTavish, Joel Farabee, Cole Perfetti, and Anton Lundell. That’s welcome company, and certainly speaks to Cozens’ future potential as he continues to find consistent scoring.
His scoring upside makes it clear why so many teams are eager to buy Cozens away from the Sabres. But the price of a trade will be harder to gauge. The similarly productive Farabee was recently traded to the Flames alongside Morgan Frost in exchange for roster player Andrei Kuzmenko, prospect Jakob Pelletier, and a second and seventh-round draft pick. That framework could help the Sabres find much-needed support for their blue-line without jeopardizing their top-six. But Cozens is one of just 39 players since 2000 to record a 30-goal season before their 22nd birthday, which could warrant a much loftier return. The Sabres were able to swap productive center Casey Mittelstadt for top, young defenseman Bowen Byram at last year’s trade deadline – accomplishing a best-of-both-worlds swap of young, high-upside players. Current trade boards don’t have a clear parallel to Cozens on the open market – perhaps Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson, if Buffalo is willing to add in a substantial premium – but the idea of swapping young forwards could still be optimal for the Sabres.
In the mix of familiar trade rumors, Buffalo’s spot in the standings haven’t changed. The Sabres rank dead-last in the Eastern Conference with a 22-26-5 record and 49 points. That’s even despite a winning uptick as of late – marked by a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. The acquisition of Byram has paid dividends for the Sabres early on, but it hasn’t been the boost the team needed to jump up the standings. The same can be said about their trade of Jack Eichel in 2021, which landed them difference-making forwards in Alex Tuch and, to a lesser extent, Peyton Krebs – but still hasn’t tilted the needle. Plenty of interest in Cozens should mean plenty of chance for Buffalo to find a return that’ll work best for them, but they’ll have to be diligent to find a deal that will actually support their roster climb – lest they trade another high-upside scorer well before his prime for a moot return.