With the 4 Nations Face-Off break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Buffalo Sabres.
Another year, another disappointing season for the Sabres franchise. Not only is Buffalo on pace to miss the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season, but they’re tracking toward their seventh bottom-five finish during that stretch.
Record
21-26-5, 8th in the Atlantic
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$26.52MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2025: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, MIN 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, WSH 7th, NSH 7th, BUF 7th
2026: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th
Trade Chips
Not to be misconstrued as a positive, the Sabres are in a unique position for the upcoming deadline season. Buffalo is saturated with underperforming players and should be open for business regarding just about anybody. Thankfully, one of the only positive takeaways from the current iteration of the Sabres is that there aren’t any expensive contracts significantly weighing down the team long-term.
Even defenseman Owen Power, whose $8.35MM salary could be considered high by many due to his uninspiring play on the defensive side of the puck this season, is ranked 16th in the NHL among defensemen for total cap hits. The percentage of the salary cap he’s taking up will decrease as the cap goes up, and he has plenty of time to improve as a 22-year-old blue-liner.
The two bigger question marks come in the form of forward Dylan Cozens and defenseman Bowen Byram. After this year, Cozens will have five years and $35.5MM left on his contract and has wildly underperformed since his 31-goal, 68-point performance only two years ago. Byram is a restricted free agent after this season and is likely expecting a substantial increase from his $3.85 million salary. 
Byram is the most likely candidate to be traded, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see both players remain with the Sabres after the trade deadline. Buffalo would likely be selling low on Cozens if they attempted to move him, making Byram the highest-value trade asset in the lineup.
The other two valuable trade assets are pending unrestricted free agents Jason Zucker and Henri Jokiharju. The Sabres have the option to retain the salaries of both players, which could slightly enhance their trade return. However, some reports suggest Buffalo may be more interested in extending Zucker than trading him as a rental player.
Team Needs
A Right Shot Top Four Defenseman: The Sabres are a team that continues to have a lot of needs, demonstrated by another season at the bottom of the NHL standings. Their biggest need is a top-four defenseman on the right side who can bump Connor Clifton back to the third pairing, which would better suit his skill set. The Sabres were reportedly in on Jacob Trouba before he was dealt to Anaheim, but it would be wise to find an emerging defenseman to fill that role. That is certainly easier said than done, as right-shot defenders are always at a premium, as demonstrated by the Trouba trade and the fact that the Rangers were able to get out from under his contract. The Sabres are currently ranked 28th in the NHL in goals against, and given the offensive talent they have on the left side of their defense core, they would be wise to look for a defensive defenseman to slot in on the second pairing next to Power. The price will be steep if the Sabres intend to fill that role, however, they will have plenty of cap space this summer and have all of their draft picks for the next three years plus a handful of extra late-round picks this year.
A Top Six Winger: The Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner last summer and then brought in Zucker via free agency on a one-year deal. Zucker has been terrific this year in Buffalo but is a possible candidate to be dealt at the NHL Trade Deadline (if the Sabres can’t sign him) and isn’t an ideal option long-term at 33 years old. The Sabres need a bonafide top-six winger who can bring more of a two-way game to Buffalo’s forward core. The team could wait for Jack Quinn or Zach Benson to emerge and fill the role. However, both men are better suited as third-line players at this early stage of their careers. The Sabres could be patient and wait until the summer to fill the winger role as there are a number of highly coveted wingers who will be available in free agency, although the Sabres might be forced to overpay to bring them to Buffalo given the Sabres lack of recent success.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.
PHR’s Josh Cybulski contributed to this article.