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The Buffalo Sabres are staring down a 14th consecutive National Hockey League season without advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Currently 22-26-5 and dead last in the Eastern Conference, the 2024-25 campaign has again been a long one in Western New York — and the front office has a couple of difficult decisions to make because of it.
It makes sense that the Sabres would be sellers ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline. A full 11 points back of the final wildcard berth in the conference, it would take a miracle for the roster to break the longest drought in professional sports come April. And there are a couple of players on the roster who could be getting a change of scenery sometime between now and early March.
Sabres have a few valuable trade pieces
One of the more valuable trade chips is Jason Zucker, who has been excellent in Buffalo despite being the oldest skater on the roster. The 33-year-old has scored 18 goals and 40 points in 51 games, emerging into one of the most effective players on the team in the process. He's well on his way to shattering his career high of 64 points over a full 82-game slate, which he set with the Minnesota Wild back in 2017-18.
Of course, the front office would probably like to re-sign the player. But Zucker is already making $5 million, and will probably be looking for even more on his next contract after the season he's had. Considering he'll be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, it might make sense for general manager Kevyn Adams and the front office to explore the market for the veteran.
Bowen Byram's name has also been swirling in trade rumors; he's had a strong offensive year with 27 points in 53 games, although he's struggling to earn any powerplay time behind a couple of former No. 1 overall picks in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. There's a decent chance the 23-year-old gets moved again, especially considering he'll be an RFA on July 1.
But no player has been mentioned more in the rumor mill than Dylan Cozens, who is just two years removed from a 31-goal, 68-point season in 2022-23. He's struggled ever since, and has been especially futile in 2024-25 with just 10 goals and 26 points in 53 games. Unlike Byram and Zucker though, he's under contract for the next half-decade.
One of the three will probably be getting a change of scenery in the next month, and although there's no guarantees, it seems likely that a roster player or two will make way to accumulate draft capital for the future. But why not go after a player under contract and make a splash that will rejuvenate the stagnant organization?
Why not take a run at a star player under contract?
Obviously, the Sabres aren't going to make any trades that will help them in the short-term. A postseason berth is all but a fantasy for the club at this point. But if Cozens could be included in a larger package, why not try to bring a standout player to Western New York in exchange?
That's especially true considering the front office once gave the Workhorse from Whitehorse a massive seven-year, $49.7 million contract extension back in February of 2023. That contract is not looking good at all right now, and it might be time for the organization to cut ties with the 23-year-old and give him a fresh start elsewhere.
Since the Sabres seem fine with trading away what was once a young piece of the core, why not try to acquire another core forward, especially one who, like Cozens, is struggling mightily? Enter Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson.
Buffalo should take a run at acquiring Canucks' Elias Pettersson
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported late in January that the Sabres have interest in Pettersson, and although the Canucks already traded away JT Miller, that doesn't mean EP40 is safe. In fact, the way he's playing, it wouldn't be overly surprising if Vancouver's front office cut the cord on the former 102-point player.
The 26-year-old Pettersson is in the first year of an eight-year contract worth a whopping $11.6 million per year. His no-trade clause doesn't kick in until the second year, meaning the Sabres could legitimately acquire a star player without worrying about whether he'll block the deal.
It's no secret that Pettersson is in the middle of a cold spell that dates back to the second half of the 2023-24 campaign. Although he finished with 89 points in 82 games, he managed just one goal and six points over 13 postseason contests. That's unacceptable for a player making what Pettersson is, and the struggles have continued this season. With just 33 points in 47 games, the patience of both the front office and the fanbase has begun to wear thin — for good reason.
And the Sabres could capitalize on that. Nobody on Buffalo's roster has a ceiling as high as Pettersson, and he would instantly inject the forward core with a two-way element it is sorely lacking. The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn believes a Pettersson trade to Buffalo actually might make sense:
“His offensive upside and ability to play a two-way game would instantly take Buffalo’s forward group to another level. He would slot in as the Sabres’ No. 1 center and allow them to either make Tage Thompson their No. 2 center or put Thompson on Pettersson’s wing,” wrote Fairburn.
“I know Pettersson is having a down year. But no player is perfect, and we’ve heard plenty about how challenging it is to lure proven, top-of-the-lineup talent to Buffalo. The perpetual losing, small market, high taxes and lack of a certain type of tree are all roadblocks. Well, Pettersson doesn’t have a no-trade clause and has a pre-existing relationship with the Sabres captain. That’s a unique opportunity. His cap hit is large, so there’s risk. But he’s 26 years old and Buffalo has plenty of cap space. Adams also has the assets in the organization to put together creative and compelling offers for Vancouver.”
Obviously, the return would have to be significant to pry Pettersson out of British Columbia. It could include one of Cozens, Byram, or both, and could even result in a more significant player like Power, Alex Tuch or JJ Peterka getting traded. But the Sabres have a ton of prospects and draft capital to sacrifice. The question becomes: could the two organizations each put together a package that would satisfy the other party?
They haven't yet. But there's still a month to go before the deadline, and with Pettersson continuing to struggle, nobody would be too surprised to see the Swede get a change of scenery. That's especially true after the hockey world was already turned upside down by the Mikko Rantanen trade to Carolina.
