Despite 13 straight National Hockey League seasons without a playoff appearance — the longest such drought in North American professional sports — the Buffalo Sabres continue to struggle to make meaningful progress. In 2023-24, the club floundered again, finishing sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 39-37-6 record. It wasn't a terrible season by any means, but fans in Western New York have long since lost their patience with this organization, and things don't seem to be looking up.
The Sabres weren't too busy in free agency, buying out former 40-goal scorer Jeff Skinner, signing veteran Jason Zucker, and trading away former first-round pick Matthew Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ryan McLeod. Overall, it's tough to think that those moves will be able to get this roster back to the dance, especially with how difficult the Atlantic Division continues to be.
But although most of the marquee free agents have found a new home, there's still an opportunity for the Sabres to get better on the trade market ahead of October. And though Martin Necas, who was rumored to be a prime target for Buffalo's front office, looks to now be off the table, there are a few other options the organization could look into to make this team better right now.
Of course, the Sabres are hoping for improvement from the young core taking another step, and the additions of Zucker and McLeod do make this team better heading into next season. But adding one of these three skaters — especially one of the first two — could go a long way in satisfying those playoff aspirations in 2025.
Nikolaj Ehlers is the marquee name
Besides Necas, probably no name has come up more in the NHL trade rumor mill this summer than Winnipeg Jets' Nikolaj Ehlers. The speedy Danish forward will reportedly not be re-signing in Manitoba when his contract expires next summer, and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has thus been fielding calls on the 28-year-old. The Jets would much rather trade him than risk him walking for nothing at the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign, and the Sabres are reportedly interested in the veteran.
And they should be. Ehlers has already scored 20 goals or more seven times in his nine National Hockey League campaigns. He potted 29 in 2017-18, and managed another 25 — along with 26 assists — over a full 82-game slate in 2023-24. Not to mention he had the highest Corsi-For percentage on the team at 54.68 percent (besides Tyler Toffoli, who only had a cup of coffee in Winnipeg).
Ehlers is known both for his speed and skill, which is exactly the type of hockey the Sabres want to play. He would immediately jump onto the top powerplay unit, and would be a prime candidate to play on star Tage Thompson's wing. He might even be able to help Thompson find the form that he showed in a 100-point campaign in 2022-23, but that eluded him last season.
Ehlers remains one of the top landing spots for the Sabres, and it's no secret that the roster could use another top-six winger. That's especially true without the services of Skinner, who is now an Edmonton Oiler. A first line of Thompson-Ehlers-Alex Tuch would be electric, or the coaching staff could opt to put him on the second line to spread out the talent.
Without a doubt, Ehlers and the Sabres look to be a great fit, and general manager Kevyn Adams should be working the phones to bring him to Western New York.
Blake Coleman would be a great addition to top-9
Although Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman doesn't bring the same level of skill as Ehlers, he could be just as valuable after coming off the best season of his career in 2023-24. Coleman put up a fantastic 30 goals and 54 points, and seemed to find another level on a lowly Flames squad. There are rumblings that there's pressure on Calgary's front office to completely blow it up after already moving on from Andrew Mangiapane, Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom and Chris Tanev, among others.
As the Flames hurdle towards a full-scale rebuild, a 32-year-old player is probably one who could be expendable, regardless of how effective he was last season. If the Sabres could find a way to add Coleman, he would be a huge addition to the top-nine. Not only can he score, he's a solid defensive skater who plays hard and is effective playing either center or on the wing. He could virtually fit anywhere in Buffalo, from the top line with Thompson to anchoring the third line himself.
Buffalo needs a few more impactful forwards, and Coleman certainly should be on the radar. That's especially true if the Flames officially put him on the trade market ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Sabres could replace Matthew Savoie with Rutger McGroarty
The Sabres signalled they were willing to give up prospects for immediate help when they sent Matthew Savoie — who was a two-point-per-game player in junior last season — to the Oilers in exchange for McLeod. But the front office can help to restore the prospect pipeline with the addition of another Winnipeg Jet in Rutger McGroarty.
McGroarty made it clear he doesn't want to play in Manitoba and would prefer to begin his NHL career elsewhere, which means there's a great chance the Jets move on from him before next year. The 20-year-old has all of the tools to be a top-six winger, and the Sabres have already been connected to the youngster this offseason.
Buffalo does want to get better now, but losing a player who has the potential of Savoie hurts. Adding McGroarty would help to shore up the prospect cupboards, and he probably wouldn't cost a fortune as he's yet to play a National Hockey League game. After a 16-goal, 52-point campaign with the University of Michigan — in just 36 games — the Nebraska native could be a key piece of Buffalo's roster in the future.
If the Sabres are hoping to finally get back to the dance in 2025, McGroarty isn't going to be the guy to help get them there — but Ehlers or Coleman certainly could.
Follow Us
Subscribe
