The Buffalo Sabres could go a number of different ways as the NHL enters trade season leading into the NHL Draft in two weeks, and the beginning of free agency on July 1. Based on a lengthy impasse between pending UFA Alex Tuch, most insiders are expecting the 30-year-old to sign elsewhere since there continues to be a considerable gap between what Tuch’s representatives are looking for and what Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen is willing to pay him.
There is a slim possibility that Buffalo could get something significant in return for the Syracuse, NY native if they arrange a sign-and-trade, so that another club can have him on an eight-year deal and spread out the AAV to lower the cap hit, but with the likely scenario that he simply walks away when free agency opens next month, Kekalainen will have to pivot to fill the scoring gap.
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Over the next few weeks, we will look at potential options for the Sabres. Some of the possibilities are not going to match Tuch’s stats, that absence may have to be filled by youngsters like Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, or Noah Ostlund, but Kekalainen will potentially need to find a veteran winger to replace Tuch in the top six.
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Kekalainen will likely looking for a veteran with some leadership, a history of playoff performance, with cost certainty and some term remaining on his deal instead of a younger player like Anaheim’s Mason McTavish, who is 23 years old and is signed long term at an AAV of $7 million. Marchessault might be a fit for what the Sabres are looking for, if he would be willing to waive his no trade protection come to Buffalo.
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The acquisition could be quite risky, since the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy winner is 35 and dropped from 42 goals with Vegas in 2024, to 21 in 2025, to 12 in 62 games with Nashville last season. The Predators may be in the process of a retool over a rebuild, and new GM Chris McFarland has already begun the reshuffle of his roster with the trade with Colorado for center Ross Colton on Tuesday.
The $5.5 million AAV for three more seasons is quite reasonable if he can bounce back and score 20+ goals. Kekalainen would likely not move any of his young forwards. Marchessault’s declining numbers could make the acquisition price relatively economical, with Nashville potentially willing to swap the veteran for a draft choice, a B-level prospect or a forward making a significant salary off the Sabres roster, like Ryan McLeod or Jordan Greenway.
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