Sabres Slashes: Offseason Wish List
(Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)
The Buffalo Sabres are looking to make some moves after missing the postseason again last year. The Sabres signed interim head coach Don Granato to a new contract. The team seemed to play well under his supervision last season. The Sabres have a ton of work to do to get this team anywhere close to being a good one and a destination where players want to go.
The biggest story so far this offseason has been that the Sabres are actively trying to trade captain Jack Eichel. The Sabres will have money to spend since most of the roster from last season are either restricted or unrestricted free agents. There are too many concerns when it comes to the Sabres, but here are my five wishes for this offseason.
1) Sign Sam Reinhart
Well, my wish list took a hit right off the bat. The Sabres traded Reinhart to the Florida Panthers for a 2022 first-round draft pick and goalie prospect Devon Levi. Reinhart was one of the few Sabres that I would have liked to have seen return since he played well last season and put the puck in the net 25 times. In 54 games, he had 25 goals, 15 assists, and 40 points. The 25 goals tied a career-high that was set in the 2017-2018 season in 82 games.
The Sabres are going to have to find a new option as a goal scorer. Sure, Victor Olofsson might be able to pot some goals, but who else is scoring on this team? The Sabres traded a decent offensive player and got a goalie prospect in return. The fact that Reinhart is a restricted free agent, and is due for a pay raise likely played a factor in the decision to trade him, but the Sabres are one team with plenty of cap space.
2) Trade Jack Eichel
I know that Eichel is a generational talent, so why wouldn’t the Sabres want to keep him on the team? There is one big reason to make the trade and not have him on the team next season. The issue is that if he is still on the team, he could be a distraction. If he gets off to a slow start or isn’t playing up to speed, there might be speculation that he is dogging it because he doesn’t want to be on the team.
If the Sabres play it right, they could get some assets back despite the injury. There could be a mediocre team or a team that thinks it’s one piece away who would be willing to take a chance on Eichel. A team that isn’t at the cap floor may also take a chance on acquiring Eichel for the right price. I don’t see the Sabres lowering the price tag, so a trade likely won’t get done in the offseason. The Sabres can only hope that Eichel goes out, focuses on hockey, and does his job so teams can see he is healthy and not a potential distraction in the locker room.
3) Rasmus Ristolainen Decision
Ristolainen will not be on the Sabres next season, as the team fleeced the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade by acquiring a 2021 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick, and defenseman Robert Hagg. The two reasons that the 26-year-old defenseman brought back such a huge haul is that he fit the Flyers’ needs, and other teams were interested in acquiring him.
The Sabres will miss his grit and physicality, but that is likely it. Ristolainen did not play well in his zone for the Sabres, and fans seemed glad to see him go on social media. The trade should work out for the player and the team. Ristolainen won’t be relied on for top-pairing minutes and should have a steady partner for most of the season. He is also in a contract year, so he will have plenty to prove to the Flyers and other NHL teams that may be thinking of going after him during next season’s free-agent frenzy.
4) Sign a Couple of Goalies
The Sabres seem to have found not one, but two goalies with NHL experience. The team signed veterans Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell to one-year contracts. Anderson seems to be the starting goaltender, since the Dell contract is a two-way one, according to John Vogl via Twitter. The backup options include Dustin Tokarski, and prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen along with Dell. I can see the Sabres giving up a ton of goals this season with whatever goalie duo starts the season. Although, if Luukkonen makes the roster, it would be interesting to see if he could play well enough to take the starter’s crease from Anderson.
Anderson just turned 40-years-old, and is on the decline. He played all of four games last season while with the Washington Capitals, where his numbers weren’t bad, but he had a solid defense in front of him. I don’t see him fairing well with the defense in front of him. Dell only played in seven games last season with the San Jose Sharks, and didn’t fair very well. The Sharks were also a mess defensively but I don’t see Dell being any better should he be the backup goalie. The wild card in this situation is Luukkonen. If he can play well to start the season on the roster then he may get some playing time since Anderson will need time off. If you are the Sabres, you might go with the veteran tandem, just to keep Luukkonen’s confidence from going down the toilet should he get some playing time and not do well.
5) Rasmus Dahlin Extension
The 21-year-old started his career well in 2018-19 under then-coach Phil Housley, with nine goals, 34 assists, and 43 points. His play seemed to decline under Ralph Kreuger but that was because of the coach and his system, not the player. Dahlin, like most Sabres players, seemed to respond to the coaching change to Don Granato late last season. Granato was more conducive to letting the player play his game but still had a system in place. The players had a green light to play to their strengths.
I would be okay with a bridge deal for Dahlin to give him more time to prove himself. The kid is too young, and has had three different coaches in three years in the NHL. However, he can quarterback the power play since he has offensive talent. Dahlin is a mobile defenseman who can move the puck and skate. Some stability, in his coach and system, could go a long way in helping him to further his development in the coming years.
