Buffalo Sabers did not have a good season. Trade smoke started to come out of the KeyBank Center windows almost immediately, with many fans focused on Jack Eichel and if he ended up demanding it. The young star hasn’t even sniffed the playoffs since joining the league, but according to Sabers GM Kevyn Adams did not request an exchange at this time.
Even if it’s not Eichel on the move, the Sabers seem to be gearing up for some hectic months. Elliotte Friedman reported about Saturday headlines that Buffalo is “open” to business and that everyone is listening. The insider specifically mentioned Sam Reinhart, but noted that nothing is out of the question:
… They are listening in all options. I think there are a number of things that people think they can or cannot do. I heard that many questions were asked about Sam Reinhart. I heard that there have been questions about Eric Staal plus some of the other names you’d expect. Nashville is out there, Detroit is there, but Buffalo is the team that is definitely there and, again, they say they are aware of all possibilities.
Four different Sabers players were listed at The Athletic’s Big Board of Trading Term: Eichel, Brandon Montour, Casey Mittelstadt and Taylor Hall. Of that group, only Hall has any commercial protection in his contract. The former Hart Trophy winner signed a one-year contract with Buffalo this off-season, which included a total ban clause so that he could control his fate. Despite being excited about the prospect of playing alongside Eichel, Hall has scored just two goals and 13 points so far this season and was eliminated again in the team’s last loss.
Hall, Staal and Montour represent the best of the unrestricted free agents pending in the squad, although perhaps smaller names like Tobias Rieder it may also be of some interest in the term. It may not just be the conventional liquidation for a team like Buffalo, who somehow needs to find a way to completely change the culture and bring some excitement back to the ring.
The 2021 negotiation deadline is just over a month away, but it doesn’t really matter at this point. The Sabers are now 6-13-3 and appear to be completely defeated in the Eastern Division. The playoffs are not a realistic outcome and the sooner they trade on an expiring asset, the more they can get back.