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Erik Brännström Signs Three-Year Deal With Lausanne HC

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5/26: One month after rumors swirled, defender Brannstrom has officially signed a three-year contract in Switzerland, per a press release from the team. The official move was first reported by TSN.

4/21: Sabres pending restricted free agent defenseman Erik Brännström has agreed to terms on a three-year contract with Swiss National League club Lausanne HC, Johan Svensson of Expressen reports. Svensson said earlier this month he was expecting Brännström to head to Switzerland; now it looks like the deal is done.

The move isn’t surprising after a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign for the 25-year-old Brännström. The 2017 first-rounder wasn’t tendered by the Senators last year and signed a one-year, $900K contract with the Avalanche early in free agency, but he didn’t even make it through training camp in Colorado. The Avs, in need of salary cap flexibility to begin the season, traded him to the Canucks for the contract of LTIR-bound defender Tucker Poolman and a fourth-round pick.

While Vancouver was in need of some puck-moving defensive depth, they opted to immediately waive Brännström. He cleared and began the season in AHL Abbotsford, but the Canucks still gave him a multitude of NHL opportunities and jockeyed him between leagues for the majority of the campaign. He played limited minutes (14:56 per game), and his results were underwhelming in sheltered usage. A 3-5–8 scoring line in 28 appearances was fine for the rearguard, but his even-strength possession metrics (48.8 CF%, 48.3 xGF%) were disappointing considering his consistent offensive-zone deployment.

The Canucks waived Brännström again in January. After he cleared, that was the last we saw of him in the NHL in 2024-25. He was traded two more times ahead of the deadline – first to the Rangers in the J.T. Miller trade, and again to the Sabres for depth winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel on deadline day – but only suited up for those teams’ AHL affiliates.

Brännström was quite productive in the minors, totaling 8-15–23 with a +14 rating across 27 appearances for Abbotsford, Hartford, and Rochester in the regular season. He’s still got some track left in the Sabres organization as he suits up for Rochester in the Calder Cup Playoffs, but it’s clear that will be the end of his stay.

One of Vegas’ three first-round picks in their inaugural 2017 draft class and later a key portion of the trade that sent Mark Stone from the Senators to the Golden Knights, Brännström has never been able to capture anything above a bottom-pairing role. Across 294 games with Ottawa and Vancouver over the last seven years, he’s averaged just 16:41 per game and has a 10-67–77 scoring line with a -17 rating. His possession metrics were historically average with a career 51.2 CF% in heavy offensive deployment, but not enough to suggest a meaningful two-way impact given his sheltered usage.

Buffalo could retain Brännström’s signing rights until 2027 by issuing him a qualifying offer, but he’ll be old enough for unrestricted free agency in the NHL when his contract with Lausanne expires in 2028. If he opts to attempt an NHL return when his Swiss deal is up, he’ll do so with the ability to sign anywhere.

Should The Buffalo Sabres Hire Shanahan?

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In an article from The Buffalo News, journalist Mike Harrington argues that the Buffalo Sabres should appoint Brendan Shanahan to a senior advisory role, even if only for one year. Recently, it was confirmed that the Toronto Maple Leafs would not renew Shanahan’s contract, and since then, he has only been publicly linked to the New York Islanders.

While the Islanders were allowed to interview Shanahan, there is no indication of any remaining interest, especially after they hired Mathieu Darche as General Manager and executive vice president of hockey operations yesterday. The Sabres would be the only remaining team seeking a high-level executive this summer. Harrington noted that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Buffalo’s interest in adding a senior advisor to work alongside Kevyn Adams.

The hire would make a lot of sense. The Sabres appointed Adams as a rookie General Manager ahead of the 2020-21 NHL season, and the needle hasn’t moved for the organization one iota. Toronto didn’t make it to the Eastern Conference Final during Shanahan’s 11 years of stewardship, but that’s more than the Sabres can say, who have missed the postseason for 14 consecutive years.

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Bowen Byram's Agent Denies Trade Request

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  • While the Sabres are gauging the trade market for pending restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram, his new representation has called reports of a trade request a “total fabrication,” per Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report. With Byram set for restricted free agency this summer, he opted to change agents and is now represented by agent Darren Ferris with Quartexx Hockey. Byram set career highs with 38 points in 82 games this past season, while also averaging a career high 22:42 of ice time per game. It will be interesting to see whether the Sabres can generate trade interest for Byram, or if they’ll find a way to keep the 23-year-old long-term.

Sabres Gauging Bowen Byram’s Trade Market

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After his name sat low on trade burners throughout the 2024-25 campaign, the Sabres are now more seriously gauging what might be available on the trade market for pending restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on yesterday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

Byram, acquired from the Avalanche in exchange for Casey Mittelstadt at the 2024 trade deadline, is coming off his first full season in Buffalo. The 23-year-old had, by basic metrics, the best season of his five-year NHL career. While injury concerns had plagued the 2019 No. 4 overall pick’s likelihood of becoming an everyday top-four piece in recent years, he managed a full 82-game season in 2024-25 in career-high usage. Byram averaged 22:42 of ice time per game, second on the team behind No. 1 defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, and recorded a career-high 31 assists, 38 points, and a +11 rating.

But with fellow lefties Dahlin and Owen Power in the mix, the Sabres have struggled to find the right fit for Byram in their depth chart. As a result, he spent most of the season playing top-pair minutes on his offside with Dahlin. He also had some more unfavorable possession metrics than one would expect, given his plus-minus mark tied for the third-highest on the team. The Sabres only controlled 49.3% of shot attempts and 47.8% of expected goals with him on the ice at even strength. Those are far worse numbers than he had when skating with Dahlin (53.1 xGF%, per MoneyPuck). His possession numbers nosedived when paired with Power or Connor Clifton, his two other usual linemates in 2024-25.

With Byram recently switching representation as his previous two-year, $7.7MM contract expires, Buffalo may have some hesitancy around the likelihood of being able to agree on a long-term contract. While he told reporters during his year-end media availability that he sees a long-term fit with the Sabres, his poor two-way showings away from Dahlin this year may mean the feeling isn’t mutual, especially amid an organizational logjam among left-shot defensemen.

That could lead to Byram, who also co-led the team with 116 blocked shots, landing on his third team in as many seasons in 2025-26. AFP Analytics projects a longer-term extension for the British Columbia native to come in north of $7MM per season with a five-year term. If Buffalo were to pay that, they would have three defenders over a $7MM cap hit and five players in total – a somewhat eyebrow-raising number for a club amid a 14-year playoff drought.

Sabres May Be Interested In Hiring Lou Lamoriello

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Although longtime General Manager Lou Lamoriello was spotted at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, it’s unrelated to any rumors of him joining the Buffalo Sabres organization. However, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Sabres would be interested in adding the veteran front office magnate in some capacity.

It’s improbable that the Sabres will dismiss Kevyn Adams as General Manager, particularly with the 2025 NHL Draft and free agency approaching. Still, the team doesn’t have a President of Hockey Operations, meaning Lamoriello could be interested in that role.

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Byram Changes Agents Heading Into Contract Talks

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  • Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram has a key contract negotiation this summer as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. He’ll now have new representatives working on that deal as Quartexx Hockey announced (Twitter link) that they now represent the blueliner.  Byram, who Titan Sports Management’s Kevin Epp previously repped, set new career highs in games played (82), assists (31), points (38), blocked shots (116), and ATOI (22:42), putting him in a spot to land considerably more than his $4.62MM qualifying offer.  He’s two years away from UFA eligibility so it’s quite likely that Buffalo will be pushing to sign him to a long-term agreement in the coming weeks.

Sabres Looking To Add Front Office Veteran

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Earlier this week, the Sabres added long-time NHL veteran Eric Staal to their front office as a special advisor to GM Kevyn Adams.  However, it appears they have some other additions in mind as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that they have been looking to speak to some veteran executives in an effort to shore up or outright reshape their front office.

Seravalli adds that a few different options have been considered.  One would see someone hired above Adams while also adding another executive beneath him in the pecking order.  Another would simply being to hire a senior executive while a third option would see Adams elevated to a president role and a new general manager being hired.

Adams has been at the helm in Buffalo for the past five seasons and the team has seen its postseason drought extend to 14 straight seasons, tying the NFL’s New York Jets for the longest active playoff drought in major North American pro sports.  These past five seasons have also been Adams’ only front office experience so it’s certainly understandable that the team would look to add some experience on that front.

On the managerial side, the Sabres have three people working under Adams, associate GM Jason Karmanos and assistant GMs Jerry Forton and Mark Jakubowski.  Of the three, Karmanos is the only one who has worked for an NHL franchise other than Buffalo and Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News relays that Karmanos may not return to the club next season.  Forton has been with the team for the past 11 seasons and Jakubowski 12, each serving in various roles along the way.

It appears that the Sabres are at least considering going with a senior advisor, at a minimum.  David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period notes (Twitter link) that the club approached long-time NHL GMs Ken Holland and Lou Lamoriello about such a role but both indicated they weren’t interested in an advisory position.  Whether that’s enough to make the team shift approaches and offer up a more prominent role remains to be seen but it certainly looks like Staal won’t be the only front office addition over the coming weeks and months.

Offseason Checklist: Buffalo Sabres

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The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those eliminated in the first round.  Accordingly, it’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Buffalo.

The question in Buffalo in recent years has been, ‘Is this the year?’ when it comes to ending their playoff drought?  Once again, the answer this season was no and it wasn’t particularly close.  At this point, it appears as if it will be the status quo behind the bench and in the front office, though an experienced addition to the front office could be a possibility.  Either way, GM Kevyn Adams has a lot to do this summer, both in terms of keeping his young core intact while also trying to add to it.  Turning this group into a playoff team might be asking too much but some things can be done to get them closer to that goal.

Add Impact Right-Shot Defenseman

One area that Buffalo is well-stocked in is high-end left-shot defensemen.  Rasmus Dahlin turned the corner a few years ago and has emerged as an all-situations number one defender.  Owen Power, another first-overall selection, is only 22 and likely has another gear to get to while already being a top-four blueliner.  Meanwhile, Bowen Byram, who was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline, had his best NHL season and is a high-quality option himself.  That’s a good spot to be in for that side of the back end.

The problem is that their right-shot options have been nowhere near the same quality, a problem that has hindered them for several years now.  They’ve been unsuccessful at developing an in-house option to play in the top four (they moved out Henri Jokiharju back in March after several years of trying to get him to that level) and veterans they’ve signed to fill a spot (in recent years, Connor Clifton, Erik Johnson, and Ilya Lyubushkin) have been better suited for more limited roles.  They added Jacob Bernard-Docker from Ottawa in the Dylan Cozens trade but again, he’s better off on the third pairing.

The result of this has been having one of their big three playing on their off-side at times while also counting on Mattias Samuelsson to play on the right.  While most blueliners can switch sides, their effectiveness wanes when they do so and as a result, a position that should be a strong one for the Sabres continues to be a question.

It’s much easier said than done given the more limited supply of natural right-side rearguards but Adams needs to find a way to add at least one that can play on the second pairing.  Free agent options aren’t particularly plentiful behind Aaron Ekblad; Dante Fabbro, Brent Burns, and Cody Ceci represent the next wave of players who can play around 20 minutes a night.  Beyond that, for perspective, Jokiharju is in the next tier.  Accordingly, this feels like an area that will need to be addressed by a trade, presenting the opportunity for another big roster shakeup after the Cozens-Josh Norris swap at the deadline.

The point of wanting to address this meaningfully has come and gone.  If the Sabres truly have an intention of trying to push for a playoff spot in the near future, this is now a need, not a want.

Re-Sign Key RFAs

The Sabres are going to enter the offseason with a fair amount of cap space.  That’s the good news.  The not-as-good news is that a significant portion of their money is going to go toward keeping the group they have, not necessarily adding to it.  Byram, JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, and Ryan McLeod are among those needing new contracts as restricted free agents this summer and all are heading for raises.

Byram is likely to be the most expensive of the bunch.  Exiting the bridge contract he signed with Colorado before being dealt, he’s coming off a career year offensively with 38 points, he played all 82 games for the first time, and he logged a career-best 22:42 per game.  These are things that will look quite appealing to an arbitrator as he’s now arbitration-eligible.  After playing on a $3.85MM deal the last two years, Byram’s qualifying offer will be $4.62MM and he’s likely to add at least a couple million more on a long-term deal; a price tag starting with a seven is very realistic.  He’s two years away from being UFA-eligible so another short-term contract won’t be ideal for the team.  That gives Byram a lot of the leverage heading into discussions.

Peterka is coming off his entry-level deal, giving Buffalo some more options.  To give themselves more flexibility this summer, they could opt for a bridge agreement, knowing there’s a jump coming in the cap for a couple of years that would allow them to afford the eventual higher payout.  Coming off a career-best 68 points, that deal could still cost upward of $5MM per year.  On the other hand, Adams could opt to pursue a long-term agreement that buys multiple years of additional club control.  That price would get a fair bit more expensive with the recent seven-year, $45.5MM extension Calgary gave Matt Coronato serving as a starting point.  With Peterka having more success and more experience, a similar deal for him would likely cost another million or so per season.  Long-term agreements for him and Byram would go through the bulk of their remaining cap room.

Another youngster is exiting his entry-level deal, winger Jack Quinn.  The good news is that he stayed healthy this year after a tough 2023-24 campaign but the bad news is that he only got to the offensive level of two years ago.  With that in mind and knowing their cap situation, a bridge deal makes the most sense for both sides, one that should check in around the $3MM range.  Ryan McLeod should come in considerably above that on his deal.  The center will have arbitration rights this time around and had a huge second half, tallying 27 points in 31 games from February on.  That should push his next deal to at least double his $2.1MM qualifying offer.

Knowing who all needs to be re-signed and the other roster holes that need to be filled, Adams will need to navigate his cap situation carefully.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him try to clear out a bit of money to make sure he can keep these players and leave some wiggle room for elsewhere.

Work On Tuch Extension

While the Jack Eichel trade hasn’t worked out the best for the Sabres, they did get one core piece from it in Alex Tuch.  He has posted his three best offensive seasons the last three years, two of which saw him reach 36 goals.  He has become a legitimate top-line weapon for them while also being a strong contributor defensively.

Tuch is about to enter the final year of his contract and as of July 1st, he will be eligible for a contract extension.  After the season, he indicated a willingness to sign a long-term deal to stick around and it wouldn’t be surprising to see talks on that front get going as soon as possible.

He will be entering his age-30 year in 2026-27 so a max-term agreement of eight years could very well be on the table.  Frankly, Buffalo might want the eight years to allow that final season or two to potentially bring down the AAV.  Tuch is making $4.75MM and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could double that on his next contract in a further elevated cap environment.  Today, that number feels a little high but some deals handed out on the open market in July could adjust expectations and reset the pending UFA market fairly quickly.

This isn’t something that Buffalo has to get done right away.  But if the two sides can’t work out an extension, there will undoubtedly be trade speculation that follows which could be an unwanted distraction.  Getting something done would be the preferred outcome but failing that, at least making some progress on extension talks over the summer should be a reasonable goal for the Sabres here.

Examine Goalie Upgrades

Heading into the season, it looked like Buffalo had a reasonable plan in goal.  Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would be the starter coming off a breakout year, Devon Levi would be the backup, and James Reimer would seemingly be the third-string option waiting in the wings in Rochester, ready to come up if Levi needed a multi-game stint with AHL Rochester.  It didn’t quite go as planned.

For starters, Reimer didn’t make it to the minors as Anaheim scooped him up.  In the meantime, Levi got off to a slow start, eventually getting demoted to the Amerks as soon as Reimer was reclaimed off waivers.  Meanwhile, Luukkonen dropped 23 points off his save percentage and ceded playing time to Reimer down the stretch.  Things couldn’t have gone much worse.

On the one hand, there’s room for optimism.  Luukkonen should bounce back, at least to a point and frankly, it would be hard for Levi to put up worse numbers.  There is a case to be made to go back to the plan from last season while bringing in a veteran third option (or even re-signing Reimer, potentially).

There’s a better case to be made to change things up, at least in the short term.  Levi is still waiver-exempt and while he played well with Rochester this season, he hasn’t even played 70 games at that level yet.  Another season of big minutes would be good for his development.  That would then leave an opening behind Luukkonen.

But instead of looking for a veteran depth option, Adams might be better off looking to bring in someone who can push Luukkonen for playing time.  It’s not a great UFA market but there are some pieces that would fit.  Daniel Vladar would be a bit of an upside add, banking on there still being some development in him.  Jake Allen could work as a platoon partner, a role he has had for a few years now.  Ilya Samsonov might welcome a shot at more playing time as well.  Putting some pressure on Luukkonen might bring out the better version of him more often while they likely wouldn’t give away quite as many points for backup goalie games.

Knowing Levi is still part of the long-term plan, Buffalo might only want to go short-term with this type of goalie but there shouldn’t be too many long-term deals going to UFA netminders.  But with what’s out there, there’s an opportunity here for an under-the-radar improvement that could be worth a few points in the standings and that’s worth putting the longer-term plan on pause for a year.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports.

Sabres Hire Eric Staal As Special Advisor

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The Buffalo Sabres have hired former NHL forward Eric Staal as a special advisor to general manager Kevyn Adams. Staal’s role will involve supporting multiple aspects of the hockey department, including scouting and direct involvement with players and prospects. That could mean supporting the team’s pre-season rookie or training camps, which would offer invaluable experience to a young Sabres playerbase.

Staal brings 18 years of NHL experience, and a 2006 Stanley Cup win and Finals appearances in 2021 and 2023, to the Sabres organization. He only played in 32 games with the Sabres over his extensive career – coming at the start of the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Staal recorded 10 points and a minus-20 with the Sabres, before being dealt to the Montreal Canadiens mid-season, where he finished the year with 11 points in 42 games, between the regular and postseason.

The bulk of Staal’s career was spent across the Eastern Conference with the Metropolitan Division’s Carolina Hurricanes. He was drafted second-overall in the 2003 NHL Draft and moved to the NHL right away. He was immediately impactful and scored 11 goals and 31 points in 81 games of his rookie season. But that was only a glimmer of Staal’s upside and, after spending the lockout 2004-05 season in the AHL, he posted a true breakout campaign in the 2005-06 season. Staal led the Hurricanes in scoring with an incredible 45 goals and 100 points in the regular season, then added 28 points in 25 postseason games to push Carolina to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Staal never topped his performance in 2005-06, but he did continue to rival 30 or 40 goals and/or 70 or 80 points throughout the next 10 years in Carolina. That scoring stuttered when he left Carolina for the New York Rangers partway through the 2015-16 season, but Staal rediscovered it by joining the Minnesota Wild from 2016 to 2020. He added two more seasons of 65-or-more points, and one 40-goal campaign in his age-33 season, during his time in Minnesota. Staal left for the Sabres in the 2020 off-season, and lost his grip on top scoring soon after that – though he had a pair of final hoorays as the 2021 Canadiens and 2023 Panthers carried him to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Both teams lost, but the experience gave Staal a hint of the Cup-winning heights he reached early in his career. He’ll now turn his attention towards the operational side of hockey, looking to bring a habit of Cup pursuits to a desolate Sabres squad. With the right momentum, this could be the move that sparks a long managerial career for Staal.

Kraken Name Jason Botterill GM

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April 22: The Kraken confirmed Tuesday they’ve elevated Francis to president of hockey operations and named Botterill executive vice president and general manager.

April 21: It turns out that relieving head coach Dan Bylsma of his duties isn’t the only notable change coming for the Kraken today.  E.J. Hradek of the NHL Network was the first to report (Twitter link) that assistant GM Jason Botterill will be appointed as the team’s new general manager.  Meanwhile, Arthur Staple of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that current GM Ron Francis will now serve as the team’s president.

This will be Botterill’s second opportunity to serve as an NHL GM.  He spent three years running the Sabres before being let go in 2020 where he was quickly scooped up by Seattle a year before the Kraken officially joined the league.  He also spent several years working in Pittsburgh’s front office, primarily as an assistant GM so he was certainly one of the more experienced managerial options around the league.

Over his three years in Buffalo, the Sabres struggled, missing the playoffs in all three seasons.  They did, however, draft relatively well during Botterill’s tenure, landing Rasmus Dahlin first overall in 2018, Dylan Cozens seventh overall a year later, and starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the second round in 2017.  Other NHLers drafted by Buffalo under Botterill include Casey Mittelstadt, Jacob Bryson, and Mattias Samuelsson.

Botterill’s trade history showed that he wasn’t hesitant to make a big swing.  Among the notable trades he swung was moving Evander Kane to San Jose for Danny O’Regan and a pair of draft picks.  He also dealt Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis for a package that included Vladimir Sobotka, Patrik Berglund, and Tage Thompson, along with a pair of draft picks; while Thompson has panned out well, the rest of the trade package hasn’t performed as well.  He also acquired Jeff Skinner from Carolina before signing him to an eight-year, $72MM extension that Buffalo exercised a buyout on last summer.

With his track record from before, Botterill had come up as a speculative candidate for GM openings in recent years and if another one became available this spring, he likely would have been considered for the role with that franchise.  With this move, Seattle gets in front of that hypothetical, ensuring that the Francis-Botterill duo will remain in place, just with different roles than before.

As for Francis, he had been at the helm of the Kraken since 2019 as he was also hired before the team officially joined the NHL.  It was his second role running a team as he also had a four-year stint as GM in Carolina among his many different roles with the Hurricanes.  Knowing for being a patient manager, Francis initially brought that same approach to Seattle, opting for what looked like a slower build than Vegas had when they joined the league last decade.

But a 100-point effort in the franchise’s second season increased expectations.  A step back the following season saw the team make a coaching change before handing out two of the biggest contracts in free agency as they looked to get back to playoff contention sooner than later.  Instead, the Kraken scuffled more this season, resulting in not just a coaching overhaul but a front office one as well.

During his time with Seattle, Francis brought in leading scorer Jared McCann and top blueliner Vince Dunn through the expansion draft while drafting a pair of young centers with high first-round picks in Matthew Beniers and Shane Wright so his fingerprints will be felt on this franchise for many more years to come.  Now, it will be Botterill handling more of the day-to-day operations as the Kraken try to get back to the playoffs next season.

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