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The Buffalo Sabres entered this season hoping to end their 13-year playoff drought. Instead, they’re mired in an eight-game winless skid near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
They’re still within striking distance of a wild-card berth but also in danger of falling further behind in the post-season chase.
During an appearance on Daily Faceoff, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News suggested GM Kevyn Adams could be running out of time to turn the Sabres into a contender. He noted that Adams attempted to bolster his roster in this summer’s trade market, but most of the players he pursued had no-trade or no-movement protection.
Lysowski indicated Adams was interested in Carolina Hurricanes left winger Martin Necas during the off-season. The 25-year-old was an RFA amid rumors he could be traded, but he stayed with the Hurricanes on a new two-year deal and has since recorded 43 points in 28 games.
Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported unhappy Sabres fans are growing frustrated with Dylan Cozens. The 23-year-old center is in the second season of a seven-year deal with an average annual value of $7.1 million. He earned that deal because of his 31-goal, 68-point performance in 2022-23, but he hasn’t regained those heights.
Adams showed a willingness last season to move a good young player to address a roster need, shipping center Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Bowen Byram. He could go that route again by dangling Cozens as trade bait, though that comes with the risk that he regains his 30-goal form elsewhere.
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Meanwhile, there’s increasing speculation that the Dallas Stars will be major buyers by the March 7 NHL trade deadline. With center Tyler Seguin sidelined for four to six months following hip surgery, they could place him and his $9.875-million cap hit on long-term injury reserve and use the cap savings to go shopping in the trade market.
Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek believes the Stars are in “win-now” mode. He anticipates GM Jim Nill will be aggressive with his cap space by the trade deadline by going “big-game hunting” by the deadline.
Marek thinks it could come at the cost of a young player, such as Logan Stankoven, Mavrik Bourque or Lian Bischel, but that’s what it could take to land a big-ticket talent. He expects Nill to wait until after the 4 Nations Face-Off in February to ensure starting goalie Jake Oettinger doesn’t get injured while participating in that tournament.
The Hockey News’ Jake Tye wrote Stankoven is a key part of the Stars’ lineup and likely won’t go anywhere. He has 16 points in 25 games compared to Bourque’s five points in 22 games.
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