The Buffalo Sabres could go a number of different ways as the NHL is in the midst of trade season following the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency on July 1. With the departure of winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram, GM Jarmo Kekalainen is expected to seek out offensive reinforcements to make up for the 44 goals lost by their departures.
Over the next few weeks, we will continue to look at potential options for the Sabres. Some of the possibilities are not going to match Tuch’s stats, but any additions could provide some relief to the pressure that youngsters Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, or Noah Ostlund will be under to make up the deficit.
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Kekalainen ideally would like to make up as much of the 60-to-70 point production that he lost with Tuch, but also someone who can fill the leadership gap. Someone who may be readily available because of the Anaheim Ducks matching the offer sheet to center Leo Carlsson is veteran winger Alex Killorn. The 36-year-old is a two-time Stanley Cup winner who played 11 seasons in the Atlantic Division. Killorn was a victim of the Lightning’s cap crunch and found a landing spot in Southern California, signing a four-year deal with the Ducks.
With one year remaining at a cap hit of $6.25 million, Ducks GM Pat Verbeek may be looking to clear out a salary or two to get the 41-goal scorer Cutter Gauthier signed to a long-term deal. Killorn is no longer a top-six option, but has scored 18, 19 and 15 goals with Anaheim.
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Adding Killorn would make perfect sense for the Sabres, since they have a group of young forwards who will be taking on most of the scoring burden created by the departure of Tuch. His 15-team no-trade list could be a hurdle, but there have been indicators that Buffalo is not being blocked as much recently with their recent success.
The Ducks are in a position where they might have to include a draft pick to have a club take on a contract, but with the Sabres having only around $5 million in cap space, it might be necessary for Verbeek to retain 20 to 25% of Killorn’s cap hit, or to take a salary like Justin Danforth back in a deal.
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