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Kevyn Adams

Latest On Jack Eichel

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May 12: Two days later, GM Adams spoke with the media and confirmed that Eichel’s camp requested a surgery–which Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet identified as cervical disk replacement–but that the Sabres doctors are not comfortable with it because it has never been done on an NHL player. Adams also explained that Eichel has not asked for a trade, though admitted that some players told him in their exit interviews that they would be “open to anything” when asked if they want to be a part of the Sabres’ future.

May 10: After a few explosive media availabilities with Rasmus Ristolainen, Sam Reinhart, and others this morning, Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel poured some gas on the offseason hot stove. The star forward not only left open the idea of a trade, but suggested to reporters including John Vogl of The Athletic that he and the Sabres cannot agree on the best way to treat his neck injury. Eichel suffered a herniated disk and explained that it’s not only up to him on whether to have surgery:

It doesn’t work like that. I wish. …I’m under contract with this team and they definitely hold a lot of cards on what I can and can’t do. 

Eichel, 24, played just 21 games this season, scoring two goals and 18 points. It was by far the most disappointing season he has had from a production standpoint, but the outcome for the Sabres—finishing last—has become far too familiar. Despite Eichel’s strong offense throughout the early part of his career, he is now six seasons in without suiting up for a single playoff game.

Though there will be teams interested in acquiring Eichel, a trade involving a player like him is not easy. He has five more years under contract and carries a $10MM cap hit, tied for the 11th-highest number in the NHL. If he is also going to get surgery on his neck at some point, that makes a trade all the riskier for any acquiring team.

The New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings have been listed as the most likely candidates in the past, given how many young assets they have gathered over the last few years. Serious interest has never been confirmed though and there are likely to be other teams that get involved if Eichel is put on the market.

An Eichel trade has been the story for the last several offseasons in Buffalo, but after the disastrous 2021-22 campaign, seems more likely than ever to actually come to fruition. Now it’s up to GM Kevyn Adams to somehow navigate the minefield of an unhappy franchise icon, hire a full-time coach, and somehow put the Sabres back on the right track.

Rasmus Ristolainen Open To Trade

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It’s been another trying year for the Buffalo Sabres, losing their coach and finishing dead last in the NHL. You can forgive a veteran player not wanting to go through that again, which makes Rasmus Ristolainen’s comments to reporters including John Vogl of The Athletic and Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News today not much of a surprise:

I’m open for all the ideas. Right now, it’s hard. Obviously the season just ended so, yeah, I’m frustrated and I’m pissed and it sucks. So I told him I’m open for all the scenarios: staying or if he trades me, I’m fine with that too.

For me, I can’t go for another rebuild or wait multiple years. For me. I mean, we have to get to playoffs next year. For me, it’s either here or then somewhere else.

Ristolainen has now been in Buffalo for eight seasons but has yet to step foot on the ice of an NHL playoff game. He has seen six different coaches behind the bench since his debut in 2013, but none of them were able to get the team to even a .500 record. The 26-year-old defenseman has been a big part of those losses, averaging nearly 24 minutes a night throughout his Buffalo career, only to post an eye-popping -163 rating in 542 games. While +/- has its obvious flaws, Ristolainen has also posted poor possession numbers throughout his career and is likely playing a bigger role than he is truly capable of.

That is part of the problem in Buffalo, as the team hasn’t been able to truly build out the depth of the program even while selecting at the top of the draft. The chatter surrounding captain Jack Eichel continues to increase, while first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin also experienced regression this season, posting just 23 points in 56 games.

As painful as it will be, the Sabres may need to try a rebuild again, moving out veterans like Ristolainen who don’t have much term left. The right-handed defenseman is signed through next season at a $5.4MM cap hit but is scheduled for free agency in the summer of 2022. Sam Reinhart, who is also one season away from UFA status, doesn’t even have a contract for next year yet. He told reporters that he doesn’t want to go through a rebuild either and hasn’t thought about his next contract yet. Reinhart is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this offseason.

GM Kevyn Adams has a busy summer in front of him, deciding which direction to take the Sabres for 2021-22.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo Sabres Hire Jason Karmanos

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1:30pm: The Sabres have made it official, hiring Karmanos as associate general manager. The release indicates that Karmanos will serve as general manager of the Rochester Americans and also oversee the Sabres’ scouting, player development and analytics departments.

11:30am: The Buffalo Sabres are “finalizing the details” in the hiring of Jason Karmanos as associate general manager, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. John Buccigross of ESPN tweeted earlier today that he also expects Karmanos to join the Buffalo front office.

Son of former Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, Jason Karmanos has been involved in NHL front offices for more than two decades. He was part of the Hurricanes executive team from 1998 until 2013, then followed Jim Rutherford to the Pittsburgh Penguins where he served as vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager for six years. Karmanos was let go by the Penguins in October, just a few months before Rutherford would eventually resign from the GM position.

In Buffalo, he’ll join GM Kevyn Adams, a familiar face from the Carolina days. Adams was part of the 2006 Hurricanes team that won the Stanley Cup (though amazingly, he registered zero points in 25 postseason games that year) and played several years for the organization before ending his playing career in 2008. Karmanos has been linked to the Buffalo AGM job since he left the Penguins, but it appears that will now soon become official.

Injury Notes: Gallagher, Tanev, Eichel, Andersen

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Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin spoke with the media today following the passing of the trade deadline and did not parse words when asked about injured star Brendan Gallagher. Bergevin does not believe that Gallagher has a chance to play prior to the conclusion of the regular season, he openly admitted. This would align with the six-week timeframe that Gallagher received after fracturing his thumb this past week. There was some optimism that Gallagher could return before the Canadiens’ season is currently scheduled to end on May 11, but Bergevin either does not see this as realistic or simply will not rush Gallagher back to play regular season games. With the North Division playoff teams all but set, Montreal faces little risk of missing the postseason so the priority with Gallagher is only to get him as healthy as possible for the playoffs.

  • Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ron Hextall had similar things to say about one of his own players today. Hextall told the media that the move to acquire Jeff Carter was at least partially influenced by the belief that Brandon Tanev will not play again in the regular season. He stated that Tanev’s upper-body injury, which landed him on Long-Term Injured Reserve, is a “tough injury to judge” but that he does not believe the rugged forward can return before the playoffs. Tanev has been a scoring presence and a physical presence for the Penguins this year and the team will have to replace his output in a number of areas. Fortunately, Hextall at least noted that Kasperi Kapanen is expected back in 10-14 days and Evgeni Malkin is likely to play again before the end of the regular season.
  • The Buffalo Sabres’ season is obviously lost and the team will not rush injured superstar Jack Eichel back into action to play meaningless games. GM Kevyn Adams spoke to the media today and stated that Eichel has not officially been shut down for the year, but he is at least out for a while longer. The superb center has missed 18 games since suffering a neck injury in early March and has only made “slight improvement” in that time per Adams. He did not rule out Eichel playing in some of the Sabres’ final games, but by that point it seems even more unlikely that the team will see any value in putting him back in the lineup.
  • One GM did share some optimism with the media today regarding a key injury. Toronto’s Kyle Dubas made it clear that he does not consider starting goaltender Frederik Andersen to be done for the season. Andersen’s has been struggling with a nagging injury and to this point there has been no timetable for his return. As a result, Dubas made a major addition in net by trading for David Rittich to pair with the red-hot Jack Campbell, but he did not rule out Andersen taking his job back at some point. Dubas did not try to guess as to whether Andersen would be able to return before the end of the regular season or if he would instead be active for the playoffs, but he simply believes that Andersen will play for the Maple Leafs again this year. For the impending free agent, pushing through the pain to get back on the ice may be Andersen’s last chance of suiting up for Toronto again.

Trade Rumors: Hall, Flyers, Panthers

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While he stopped short of stating that there is a lot of interest in Buffalo Sabres winger Taylor Hall, TSN’s Darren Dreger noted on “Insider Trading” this evening that the team is receiving different varieties of offers for the former MVP. While some teams see Hall strictly as a rental, Dreger reports that GM Kevyn Adams has also received calls from teams with interest in a trade-and-sign potential. Despite Hall’s struggles this season, it seems that there are clubs who still believe in his long-term value once he escapes Buffalo. Normally, these teams would not necessarily need to inform the opposing GM of their post-trade intentions. However, given Hall’s No-Movement Clause there seems to be more transparency from suitors in hopes that Hall would waive to come to their team. Dreger relays that Adams and Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris, recently met to discuss these offers as well as those from teams who have not yet expressed interest in an extended relationship with Hall.

GM, agent, and player will all need to be on the same page for a deal to get done, but Hall has already stated that he is open to waiving his NMC for the right move, so it seems likely that he will end up traded. Yet, don’t be surprised if the deal doesn’t happen until deadline day. Dreger believes that Adams could hold on to Hall as long as he can, allowing Hall’s pro-rated cap hit to decrease as much as possible, as a tactic to improve or at least maintain his trade value. With so many team’s facing a salary cap crunch, a cheaper Hall is a more valuable Hall. To this point, it seems teams have balked at Buffalo’s first-round price tag for Hall, but their best chance of netting that return will likely be on deadline day.

  • As young Carter Hart continues to struggle this season, it is becoming more and more likely that the Philadelphia Flyers will have to add another goalie if they want to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that they are certainly considering a move, but have not made a decision yet. While the numbers for Hart as well as Brian Elliott are not appealing so far this season, bringing in a third netminder is not a simple decision. The Flyers would need to have the cap flexibility to carry three goalies and would also need to consider the mental status of Hart if they were to essentially bump the season-opening starter to a third-string role. LeBrun believes that Philadelphia will wait as long as possible to make a deal, hoping that their current tandem improves but also in order to take a realistic look at their playoff chances at the deadline and weigh whether a move in worth it. If the Flyers do opt to seek another goalie, LeBrun notes that the name they are being linked to is Detroit Red Wings veteran Jonathan Bernier.
  • It would surprise no one to hear that the Florida Panthers are looking for a defenseman in light of the season-ending injury suffered by stalwart Aaron Ekblad. However, Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards reports that the team was actually scouring the market for a top-four blue liner even before Ekblad’s injury, which only served to up their efforts. The Panthers had enjoyed strong seasons from Ekblad, MacKenzie Weegar, and Keith Yandle and had not hesitated to give considerable play time to Anton Stralman, Gustav Forsling, and Radko Gudas as well. However, the team recently waived Stralman, which just goes to show how much they value his contribution so far this season. And while Yandle and Gudas have played well, the two are somewhat of specialists, only excelling at one end of the ice. With Ekblad gone, the Panthers will have to rely on Weegar and Forsling as their most complete defensemen and neither has the experience needed to lead a contender on a deep playoff run. It is likely this concern that prompted a search even before Ekblad went down.

Buffalo Sabres Trade Eric Staal To Montreal Canadiens

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The Buffalo Sabres are working the phones today, after suffering another loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. Earlier in the day, Darren Dreger of TSN reported that Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has spoken to multiple teams about a Taylor Hall trade and now has dealt Eric Staal to the Montreal Canadiens. The Sabres will receive a 2021 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick for the veteran center. Buffalo will also retain $1.625MM (50%) of Staal’s salary and cap hit.

Adams received an up-close and personal look at the Sabres last night, moving behind the bench while interim head coach Don Granato isolated due to COVID protocols. What he saw was another listless effort from his squad, losing 4-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sabres have now lost 16 straight games and have been shutout more times than they’ve won on the season.

Like everyone else in Buffalo, Staal has been a shadow of his former self this season, recording just three goals and ten points in 32 games. The 36-year-old seemed to be battling father time quite admirably last season, scoring 19 goals and 47 points in just 66 games for the Minnesota Wild. That was the fourth strong season in a row for Staal in Minnesota, but an offseason trade brought him to Buffalo where he has struggled to get anything going. Chemistry never formed with Hall and at times, Staal has been used as a bottom-six player for the Sabres. His average ice time of 15:34 on the year is the lowest in his entire career and the results have followed.

Still, there’s no doubt he was an intriguing option to teams looking to bolster their center group for the stretch run. With a cap hit of just $3.25MM that expires at the end of the year, the financial commitment by an acquiring team would be small. Getting 1,272 regular season games of experience, not to mention a Stanley Cup championship (where he easily could have been awarded the Conn Smythe), would be an attractive option for any contender if the price is right.

For the Sabres, trading Staal is a no-brainer given how poorly the season has gone, and the recent decision by the Canadian government to reduce the quarantine for incoming players only increased their market. Staal does have a 10-team no-trade clause, but failing to get something in return for him would have been a serious misstep by the Buffalo front office.

Still, two mid-round picks for a player of Staal’s stature may speak to the state of the market right now. There aren’t many teams in the league that are looking to add money at the deadline and the Sabres obviously felt they weren’t going to get a better offer.

For the Canadiens, a third and a fifth is basically nothing, given how many other draft picks they already have. The team had hoarded 14 picks for the 2021 event, including three third and three fifths. It will be the Montreal picks that are going to Buffalo, not those they have acquired from other teams.

Even with the salary retention, Staal’s presence in Montreal squeezes the Canadiens right up against the cap ceiling. Pushing Paul Byron’s contract to the taxi squad will allow them to complete the move, given he is still eligible after clearing waivers, but it will be a tight dance for the rest of the year. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin had been repeatedly explaining that his cap situation would limit their deadline maneuvering, but it certainly didn’t stop them from landing one of the best rentals on the market.

Frank Seravalli of TSN was first to report that a deal with Montreal was close. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/25/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today so far:

Anaheim – Alexander Volkov*
Boston – Jake DeBrusk, Sean Kuraly
Minnesota – Zach Parise
Montreal – Joel Armia, Jesperi Kotkaniemi
NY Rangers – Brett Howden (plus part of the coaching staff)
Ottawa – TBA
Vancouver – Travis Boyd

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Danton Heinen, Anaheim Ducks; Ben Hutton, Anaheim Ducks; Jacob Larsson, Anaheim Ducks; Anthony Stolarz, Anaheim Ducks; Phil Di Giuseppe, New York Rangers

All four players that were added recently for the Ducks have found their way off, though Volkov has been added as he moves from one team to another. After being acquired late last night, the young forward will need to face a short quarantine period before he can join Anaheim.

For the Rangers, Di Giuseppe has exited the protocol along with assistant coaches Jacques Martin and Greg Brown. They have joined the team in Philadelphia and can take over their regular duties once again.

Unfortunately, they aren’t the only coaches facing an issue like this. The Buffalo Sabres have announced that interim head coach Don Granato and assistant Matt Ellis are self-isolating and will be unavailable for tonight’s game against the Penguins. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams will be being the bench as head coach instead.

*denotes new addition

Snapshots: Rakell, Karmanos, Prep Hockey Conference

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The Anaheim Ducks aren’t opposed to trading star forward Rickard Rakell, but at their current asking price they might not find any takers. The 27-year-old winger, who has another year on his contract at a $3.8MM AAV, is undoubtedly worth a nice return. Rakell has recorded 19 points through 30 games so far this season, scoring at the same 50+ point pace as he has the past two years amidst some difficult seasons for Anaheim, and has also shown the potential for far more production when the Ducks were in better shape. With more talent around him, the slick, two-way forward could be a highly valuable piece for a contender. However, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the current ask by the Ducks is a young, experienced NHL player and a first-round pick. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that the Calgary Flames inquired on Rakell, but balked at that price. He believes that it may be too rich for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ blood as well. In what is expected to be a buyer’s market, the Ducks may need to lower their ask if they are intent on moving Rakell. However, with another year on his contract and plenty of value left to contribute to Anaheim, the Ducks do not have to make a move if they want to hold out for a more suitable offer.

  • The Buffalo Sabres made a major move today, firing head coach Ralph Krueger and beginning the search for a permanent replacement. However, their next personnel addition may be in the front office rather than behind the bench. GM Kevyn Adams told the media today that he is also searching for an Assistant GM. Friedman reports that one name previously linked to the vacancy is former Pittsburgh AGM Jason Karmanos. In fact, the Sabres have received permission from the Penguins to speak to Karmanos, who was fired this off-season with term remaining on his contract. Karmanos, who was once highly touted as a possible future GM himself, has close ties with Adams and is the likely frontrunner to join the front office.
  • A number of top developmental programs have decided to finally join together in an official capacity. Friedman notes in his latest “31 Thoughts” that many of the prep schools most familiar to hockey fans have come together and formed the Prep Hockey Conference, which will play in its inaugural season next year. They include Culver Academy (Indiana), Mount St. Charles (Rhode Island), Northwood (New York), Shattuck-St. Mary’s (Minnesota), South Kent School (Connecticut), and St. Andrew’s College (Ontario), a group that has contributed to the development of countless NHL stars. The school have long scheduled games against one each other and participated in tournaments together, but now will legitimize their partnership with the formation of the conference. While the geographical differences will force the league to be split into East and West divisions, all the teams will get together at least once during the regular season and will participate in a single-location postseason. The Prep Hockey Conference will immediately rival the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) and the Minnesota public high school ranks as the top non-junior leagues in all of development hockey.

Trade Deadline Primer: Buffalo Sabres

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Although we’re not even two months into the season, the trade deadline is just over a month away.  Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Buffalo Sabres.

No team has received more media scrutiny this season than the Buffalo Sabres. The team is floundering yet again despite adding the top free agent forward in Taylor Hall and acquiring veteran center Eric Staal. Not only have Hall and Staal disappointed, but very few members of the team have exceeded or even met expectations this season. With failing veterans, stalled youngsters, and a number of expiring contracts, the Sabres are stuck and appear primed for a fire sale and resumed focus on rebuilding.

According to a number of sources, almost anyone on the Sabres could be made available. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Buffalo is “wide open” for business and The Athletic included four Sabres on their Trade Deadline Big Board. It all sounds very exciting to the other 30 teams and their fans, doesn’t it? Well, don’t get your hopes too high for major moves by Buffalo. Given the constraints of an NHL trade market impacted by a flat salary cap as well as real-life financial struggles, not to mention the restrictions on Canadian teams due to COVID-19 border policies, making trades this year is no easy feat. Trading a player like Jack Eichel in-season seems nearly impossible, even if the Sabres wanted to move him which is unlikely. Add in that rookie GM Kevyn Adams is new to the job and trying to build connections in a quiet market while trying to avoid being taken advantage of, and the Sabres suddenly look like a team that might end up playing it safe. Does Adams really want to move the likes of Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson, both of whom are among the productive minority in Buffalo, when the odds of winning such a move seem slim? Does he want to potentially overreact to the frustrations of Jeff Skinner and give away major assets to move his contract? Adams has a number of contracts expiring after this year and next that he can move without much risk of it coming back to bite him. Expect that “wide open” means he’s willing to move any amount of those players, but won’t be too keen to touch anyone else who the team may still be able to build around.

Record

6-14-3, .326, 8th in East Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$410,962 in full-season cap space, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 4th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th
2022: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th

Trade Chips

Hall of course stands out as the top trade chip for the Sabres if you assume that the likes of Eichel, Reinhart, Olofsson, and Rasmus Dahlin are not going anywhere (a safe assumption despite the whispers). The former Hart Trophy winner may not be enjoying a strong season, but he is a known commodity who can play a top-six role for any team in the league. Hall has expressed some interest in re-signing with Buffalo, but without any evidence that he is a fit and with a ways to go in their rebuild, retaining the 29-year-old Hall on a heavy price tag makes little sense. The trouble with trading him though is a potential lack of suitors who can actually afford his $8MM cap hit. A lack of demand could impact what Buffalo is able to receive in a deal, but they should still end up with a nice package. Anything is better than letting him walk for free this summer.

Staal too could see his time in Buffalo come to a quick end. The veteran center is well-respected across the league and brings solid two-way play and postseason experience. While he has lost a step, that won’t stop contenders from seeing him as a worthwhile depth addition.

On defense, Brandon Montour is absolutely on the block. The puck-moving defenseman is headed for free agency and the Sabres have made it known that they are open to renting him out. Montour has not produced as they had hoped and is no longer in their long-term plans, so Buffalo has no reason not to trade the 26-year-old defenseman. Given his offensive upside, his ability to play either side of the blue line, and his palatable $3.85MM cap hit, Montour should be easy to move. Sadly, Jake McCabe also would have been easy to move and would have returned a prime package as arguably the best left-handed defenseman on a trade deadline seller. However, his season is over due to injury and the Sabres will lose out on his trade value.

Even with Montour and McCabe out of the way this off-season, the Sabres still face a potential expansion conundrum on defense. Should Buffalo choose to protect seven forwards and three defensemen, Dahlin is a lock but it leaves only two spots to split between top-four blue liners Rasmus Ristolainen and Colin Miller and young Henri Jokiharju. The Sabres could choose to move one of the three rather than lose them for nothing to the Seattle Kraken. Ristolainen had long been a fixture on the rumor mill, but those talks have cooled significantly since last season. Do the Sabres finally move the talented defenseman, especially as his stock has risen this season? Ristolainen only has one season remaining on his contract and could be tempted to pursue a more talented team in free agency after playing exclusively for Buffalo thus far in his pro career. Miller also has just one year remaining on his deal and comes with a lesser price tag than Ristolainen, albeit with a less complete game as well. Jokijarju, 21, is not necessarily safe either; the young rearguard has not met expectations thus far in his time with the Sabres but he does have impressive upside.

In net, Buffalo will see both members of their NHL tandem hit the open market this summer barring an extension. The Sabres may be well-served to extend 27-year-old Linus Ullmark, but if the feeling isn’t mutual then they should move the net minder while he can still return value. If Ullmark is healthy, he could be a major trade chip for the Sabres. Veteran Carter Hutton is less likely to move given his struggles and his $2.75MM cap hit, but Buffalo will certainly make him available.

Others to Watch For: F Curtis Lazar ($800K, one year remaining), F Tobias Rieder ($700K, UFA), F Riley Sheahan ($700K, UFA), D Matt Irwin ($700K, UFA)

Team Needs

1) Draft Picks – Sabres fans rightfully want their team to be better and they want them to be better sooner rather than later. However, that isn’t easy to do. A rookie GM with few impact players and little cap space doesn’t have the means to immediately upgrade his roster. This team is headed toward a long, arduous rebuild. What makes accepting that reality even more difficult is that the Sabres do not even have their full complement of draft picks to build upon. Missing a third and a fifth this year and a fifth next year, Buffalo is in the unfortunate position of needing to add talent to their pipeline and don’t even have the complete means to do so. The goal for Adams and company at the deadline should be not only to recoup their missing picks but to add other high-value picks as well.

2) Prospects – If the Sabres are unable to add valuable future prospects in the form of high draft picks, they need to target current top prospects instead. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently ranked Buffalo’s pipeline as 15th-best in the NHL, an unacceptable position for a team that is supposed to be rebuilding. The Sabres need to move from middle-of-the-pack toward the top of the NHL’s prospect rankings if they want to speed up their rebuild. A projected top-four defenseman and center depth should be the specific targets of their aim to add youth.

Sabres Notes: Trade Aggression, Goaltending, Hall

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Prior to Sabres GM Kevyn Adams speaking with the media on Friday, TSN’s Darren Dreger noted in a segment on WGR 550 (audio link) that Adams has been among the more aggressive teams in terms of trying to make a deal but the trade market as a whole continues to be tough to navigate with trades with Canadian teams being next to impossible due to quarantine concerns.  Just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for Buffalo this season between injuries, key players underperforming, and even some players going through COVID-19 which has them in the basement in the East Division.  They sit 14 points out of a playoff spot heading into Saturday’s games and while that’s not an insurmountable gap to make up with all in-division matchups, the likeliest scenario is that those trade talks will soon start to inch towards selling players if it hasn’t already.

More from Buffalo:

  • In his press conference, Adams indicated to reporters, including Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News (Twitter link) that the reason he hasn’t made a move to upgrade the goaltending is that there hasn’t been one available yet. Curiously, they passed on Alex Stalock who was coming off a strong season in Minnesota off waivers so it appears they’re setting their sights higher.  Linus Ullmark is still out for several more weeks with a lower-body injury while Carter Hutton is struggling mightily and can’t be relied on in the number one role for an extended period of time.
  • It was reported last month that there was mutual interest between the Sabres and Taylor Hall when it comes to a possible contract extension. When asked about it, Hall told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News that he’s “open to anything” when it comes to next season.  While that’s not a direct statement of having interest in an extension, the veteran acknowledged that he wasn’t necessarily viewing his time in Buffalo as a one and done situation despite the one-year deal he signed.  His market value is taking a hit so far though as he has just two goals and 11 assists in 21 games, numbers that suggest he’ll be unlikely to make the $8MM he’s getting this season on his next contract.

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