- The Sabres are interested in re-signing pending unrestricted free agent Zemgus Girgensons, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 30-year-old has spent the last ten seasons with Buffalo after they drafted him in the first round back in 2012. However, Girgensons hasn’t reached the 20-point mark since his sophomore year and while he provides some value in a limited checking role, it could make sense for both sides for the forward to ultimately move on.
Sabres Rumors
Snapshots: Conditional Picks, Tocchet, Thunderbirds
The final series of the playoffs gets underway tonight with Edmonton taking on Florida. The events and outcome of the Stanley Cup Final will also affect the draft order in the next three years. As CapFriendly notes (Twitter link), the following four late-season trades will be finalized based on whoever wins this series:
Ducks/Oilers: The 2025 fifth-round pick that went to Anaheim in the Adam Henrique trade will upgrade to a 2025 4th round pick if Edmonton wins.
Sabres/Panthers: The 2024 seventh-rounder acquired by Buffalo for Kyle Okposo will upgrade to a 2024 fifth-round pick if Florida wins. (Florida would also incur a $500K cap penalty next season in this scenario as that is payable to Okposo if they win.)
Senators/Panthers: The 2024 fourth-round pick that Ottawa received for Vladimir Tarasenko will become a 2026 third-rounder if Florida wins the series.
Penguins/Panthers: The 2025 seventh-round pick Pittsburgh acquired for Magnus Hellberg will convey if Hellberg plays in two games this round. Hellberg is on Florida’s active roster as a Black Ace recall but has yet to play this postseason.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is heading into the final guaranteed season of his contract next season though there is a team option for 2025-26 as well. The bench boss told reporters including Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province that there have yet to be any discussions about a contract extension, nor is he concerned about that. Tocchet led Vancouver to a surprising first-place finish in the Pacific Division with 109 points, helping him earn the Jack Adams Award last month.
- The AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds (affiliate of the Blues) announced that they’ve hired long-time NHL blueliner Jaroslav Modry and AHL veteran Chad Wiseman as their new assistant coaches. Modry spent the last three seasons coaching in his native Czechia while Wiseman had been coaching with OHL Guelph since 2018-19. They join NHL veteran Steve Konowalchuk on a new-look coaching staff.
Sabres Open To Trading First-Round Pick
The Sabres are open to trading their 11th overall selection in this month’s draft, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
If so, it would likely be in a swap for top-six forward help, per Friedman. They’re not the only team within the top 15 looking to move their selection, though. The Devils, slated to pick one spot before them at 10th overall, are also willing to trade their pick for immediate help, likely on the goaltending front.
To the surprise of many, the Sabres’ offense was their Achilles heel this season as their playoff drought extended to 13 years. After finishing third in the league in goals for in 2022-23 and missing the playoffs by one point, their snipers cratered. Buffalo scored 50 fewer goals this season than last, dropping their offense down to 22nd in the league.
The lack of scoring, influenced partly by their below-average 16.6% power play, wasted one of the best goaltending performances from a Sabres netminder in quite some time. 2017 second-round pick Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen took over as a bonafide starter, putting up a .910 SV% and five shutouts in 54 games with a 27-22-4 record.
Buffalo’s future is still bright as it stands. Luukkonen will be joined on a full-time basis by top goaltending prospect Devon Levi between the pipes next season after he posted a .927 SV% in 26 minor-league games. Their core on defense is set with Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.
But entering a 2024-25 campaign in which ending their playoff drought is a necessity, their high-ceiling offense does have a few question marks. Tage Thompson still managed to lead the team in goals with 29 while battling through injuries, but it’s a far cry from his totals of 38 and 47 the previous two years. A rebound should be expected if he stays healthy, but it can’t fall on him alone.
Alex Tuch is a true top-six producer but has had inconsistent results year-over-year. Is he more of a 60-point or 80-point player? Can the aging Jeff Skinner have a bounce-back year after being limited to 46 points?
Some of those concerns should be quelled by steps forward from a trio of under-25 forwards in Zach Benson, John-Jason Peterka and Jack Quinn – but the operative word there is “should.” They could also get a decent rookie season out of 2022 ninth-overall pick Matthew Savoie, but like the others, his best years are still a few seasons ahead of him.
While they do still have a deep prospect pool up front, there is still an obvious need for more established help. The top forward available on the trade market, Hurricanes pending RFA Martin Nečas, likely doesn’t fit the bill based on Carolina’s similar want for an established replacement rather than picks and prospects.
But could the Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers, also likely on the move this summer without an extension past next season in the cards, be a match? The Danish winger has played a top-six role throughout his nine-year career and averages 27 goals and 62 points over an 82-game campaign. He’s entering the final season of a contract with a $6MM cap hit, more than affordable for the flush-with-space Sabres, and could potentially be had for the 11th overall pick alone without any other assets included.
Regardless, the shift into buyer mode for general manager Kevyn Adams appears clear with Lindy Ruff at the helm for his second stint as head coach.
Sabres Name Michael Leone AHL Head Coach
The Sabres have hired USA Hockey mainstay Michael Leone as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, per a team announcement Thursday. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald was the first to report the hiring yesterday.
Leone succeeds Seth Appert, who’d been the head coach of the Amerks for the past four seasons. He was recently promoted to the NHL bench and will serve as an assistant on Lindy Ruff’s staff as he makes his return to Buffalo.
The 36-year-old Leone had a collegiate and low-level minors career as a player, topping out in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye in the mid-2010s. After retiring, he immediately began his coaching career as an assistant with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards for the 2017-18 season.
The Michigan native has quickly risen up the ranks ever since. He jumped to an assistant role with Bowling Green State University the following season before joining USA Hockey in 2019, first as an assistant with their national U-17 team on a squad that boasted Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes on its blue line.
He hopped between the U17 and U18 teams over the next few years, also serving as an assistant for the national team at various international tournaments, before moving back to league play in 2022. Tabbed as the GM and head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers of the major junior United States Hockey League, he’s guided them to a 66-41-17 record over the past two seasons.
Leone coached multiple NHL-affiliated prospects with the Gamblers this season, namely Blackhawks 2023 second-round pick Adam Gajan, NHL Utah prospect Julian Lutz, and Lightning 2023 fourth-round pick Jayson Shaugabay.
He’ll now be entrusted with the development of a deep Sabres prospect pool in which almost every player makes a stop in Rochester at some point. Next season’s roster is likely to include 2022 first-round picks Jiri Kulich and Noah Östlund up front, with other first-round picks Isak Rosen and Matthew Savoie being potential options to suit up for the Amerks if they don’t make the NHL roster out of camp.
Sabres To Let Three Prospects Become Free Agents
The Sabres won’t be signing any of the three prospects they’ll lose the exclusive signing rights to at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports. 2022 fourth-round pick Mats Lindgren will be eligible to re-enter the 2024 draft, while 2020 seventh-round picks Jakub Konecny and Albert Lyckåsen will become true unrestricted free agents.
[RELATED: Full 2024 List Of Expiring Draft Rights]
Lindgren, 19, is the most surprising lapsed selection. The Swedish-Canadian blue liner was touted as a late second or third-round pick by most in his draft year but slipped to Buffalo at 106th overall. After putting up 44 points and a +25 rating in 68 games with the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels in 2021-22, he looked like he may have fringe top-four upside, but his point production and two-way play immediately hit a wall and hasn’t progressed by any degree.
He finished the 2023-24 campaign with 41 points and a -4 rating in 63 games for Red Deer and should be considered unlikely to be an overage selection in next month’s draft. If he turns pro this summer, it’ll likely be as an undrafted free agent signing with a minor-league club, although he could still land an entry-level deal with an NHL team after the draft passes.
Konecny and Lyckåsen are the elder statesmen of this group and will remain overseas next season. Jakub, who has no relation to Flyers star Travis Konecny, has spent the last three seasons in a bottom-six forward role for HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga. The 21-year-old 5’10” pivot has 14 goals and 30 points in 121 career top-level games across the last four seasons. He’ll be on the move next season after signing a one-year pact to remain in the top Czech league with HC Kometa Brno last month.
Lyckåsen, 22, has spent most of his time since the 2020 draft suiting up in the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish hockey. The right-shot defenseman will suit up for his third team in three years next year after signing with Västerås IK. He does have 11 top-level Swedish Hockey League games to his name, all coming with Linköping HC from 2019 to 2022, but he failed to record a point. In 36 Allsvenskan games for BIK Karlskoga last season, Lyckåsen had three goals and 14 points with a -9 rating.
Offseason Checklist: Buffalo Sabres
The offseason has arrived for all but a handful of teams who are still taking part in the playoffs. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Buffalo.
It looked like this could be the year for the Sabres were going to take a step forward and reach the playoffs. They were returning the bulk of one of the top-scoring groups in the league and with Devon Levi, they hoped they’d get some stability between the pipes. Things didn’t go as planned, however. Levi was overmatched early on and while he’s still part of their long-term future, he played more AHL games than NHL ones. Meanwhile, they dropped 50 goals off their 2022-23 total, going from the top three to outside the top 20 in that regard, resulting in them missing the playoffs again. GM Kevyn Adams moved quickly, bringing back Lindy Ruff as head coach to replace Don Granato who was fired after the season. However, plenty of work needs to be done roster-wise in the coming months as well.
Extension Talks
Before getting into the additions that need to be made, let’s look a little further out. The Sabres have a trio of key players that will become extension-eligible on July 1st as they enter the final year of their respective contracts.
Up front, J-J Peterka was one of the few players to take a step forward offensively this season, going from 12 goals in his rookie year to 28 while also reaching the 50-point mark. If the Sabres think he can get to another gear in 2024-25, it would be worth exploring what an early extension would cost. Forecasting further improvement into the offer, a long-term agreement should cost at least $5.5MM and probably more. Adams has been aggressive when it comes to getting some of these types of deals done and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him explore what a long-term pact with the 22-year-old would cost.
Jack Quinn is the other forward of note in this situation but his case is different. Injuries limited him to just 27 games this season although he was productive in those, collecting 19 points while improving his per-game rates considerably. With just 104 games under his belt though, a long-term extension wouldn’t necessarily be viable. However, they could look to work out an early bridge deal, one that gives Quinn some security after an injury-riddled campaign while also potentially giving Buffalo a team-friendly price tag if Quinn has a breakout year. It might take a price tag starting with a three to get Quinn to sign now.
Then there’s Bowen Byram. He was able to stay healthy this season for the most part and responded with a career year, notching 29 points in 73 games and logged nearly 22 minutes a night after being acquired from Colorado at the deadline for Casey Mittelstadt. Considering what they gave up to get him, it’s fair to say he’s in Buffalo’s long-term plans so he’s someone they’ll likely want to lock up sooner than later. With his injury history, it shouldn’t come in as high as Owen Power’s new deal ($8.35M) but it should easily cross the $6MM mark. Notably, he’s owed a qualifying offer of $4.62MM next summer with arbitration rights so they’ll have to make an appealing offer to get him to put pen to paper early.
While it’s unlikely all three will ultimately sign new deals over the summer, Adams will want to at least get an idea of what each player will be looking for sooner than later as that information should help them when it comes to the rest of their planned spending this summer.
Re-Sign Luukkonen
While Levi wasn’t able to lock down the number one job, it wasn’t all bad news between the pipes for Buffalo this season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen overcame a rough start to his season to become a true starter in the second half, posting a .919 SV% after January 1st, a span of 36 games. That performance helped keep the Sabres within striking distance of the playoffs longer than it looked like they were going to be early on.
The timing for his improvement was certainly good for Luukkonen as he’s eligible for restricted free agency this summer with arbitration eligibility. Midseason, it looked as if he wouldn’t be able to command any kind of significant deal as a backup with some question marks. Now, after the second half he had, the 25-year-old at least has some leverage heading into negotiations.
This negotiation could go a couple of different ways. Considering that he has just 100 games of NHL experience under his belt, it would be difficult to work out a satisfactory long-term agreement. And if Levi is still their intended starter of the future, they likely wouldn’t want to have Luukkonen locked up that long either. It’s also worth noting at this point that he is two years away from UFA eligibility.
Assuming the Sabres don’t want to sign him to a contract that walks him right to the open market, that means the options are a one-year deal or a medium-term pact that buys an extra year or two of club control. If it’s the former, the contract should check in around the $3.5MM mark. On the latter, it’s likely that Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson’s three-year, $3.75MM pact would be used as a starter in negotiations with a price point creeping into the $4MM range. Even when Levi gets more expensive in 2025-26 when he needs a new contract, they should be able to afford both netminders in this price range with their salary structure.
While we’re on the topic of goaltending, the Sabres will also need to add a veteran goalie this summer. With Levi still having waiver exemption, there may come a time when they decide to give him a run of starts with AHL Rochester, necessitating the need to have a quality third option in the fold. There will be several of those players available in free agency but bringing in someone who they can play in a pinch with some confidence would be beneficial.
Add Top-Six Winger
While there’s a case to be made for not doing any sort of panic move due to the considerable drop-off in scoring this season and hoping that Ruff can help re-spark their attack, there is still a definite need to add, particularly on the wing. Yes, players like Jiri Kulich, Matthew Savoie, and Isak Rosen are on the rise and aren’t too far away but they can still benefit from time in the minors or being eased into things at the NHL level.
At the moment, they have around $65.5MM in commitments for next season, per CapFriendly, assuming Levi is back up full-time. With the remaining funds, they need to sign upwards of six forwards, a couple of defensemen (including Henri Jokiharju who’s owed a $2.6MM qualifying offer), and Luukkonen. As far as cap situations go, that’s one of the more optimal ones around the league and Adams will have enough room to make a splash if he wants to.
Knowing some of the contracts that are coming down the road – this is where the knowledge from the early extension talks comes in – a move at the top end of the market might not make the most sense as when their 2025 RFAs get a lot more expensive in a hurry, it could cause a bit of a cap crunch. However, there are plenty of options a tier down, including shorter-term veterans like Jonathan Marchessault if he doesn’t re-sign in Vegas, Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Toffoli, or even Patrick Kane who has been a speculative Buffalo target for a while now. If they want a longer-term piece, someone like Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, or Jake DeBrusk makes sense.
All of those players should fit within their long-term salary structure while also giving their forward group a boost. That, coupled with at least some internal improvement offensively, could give the Sabres a big lift next season.
Add Center Depth
For the first three quarters of this season, Buffalo had strong center depth with Mittelstadt joining Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens. They were comfortable enough to deal from that by using Mittelstadt to get Byram but now they need to back-fill that spot. Peyton Krebs got an extended look down the middle following the trade but didn’t exactly make the most of it while scoring just four goals all season. A pending RFA, he’s worth keeping around to see if Ruff can help get that part of his game going once again after being an impactful scorer in junior.
Meanwhile, long-time Sabre Zemgus Girgensons is unlikely to return as is Tyson Jost; both players spent some time down the middle this season. So did Kyle Okposo before being moved to Florida at the trade deadline. Internally, there aren’t any centers from Rochester that are likely to be pushing for a roster spot in training camp either (assuming Savoie needs some time in the minors to start). Accordingly, there’s at least one spot to fill and likely two.
Again, ample cap space will give them plenty of options. Depending on what they do on the wing, they could have enough money to take a run at someone like Sean Monahan to give them that quality third option that they had when Mittelstadt was still there. Chandler Stephenson would cost a bit more but the same idea would apply to him. Alexander Wennberg could also fit nicely in that third role as someone who could move up in a pinch when injuries arise.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Sabres target a veteran fourth liner. As a result of a long-term rebuild and playoff drought, there aren’t many veterans on this team. Adding some experienced players seems like something they’ll try to do, even on the wing if they opt to dip into free agency or the trade market to add a shorter-term piece or two. But at a minimum, there’s a need to replenish their center depth so expect them to be aggressive on that front over the next couple of months.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AHL Notes: Konowalchuk, Armstrong, Forrest
The AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds have named Steve Konowalchuk as their head coach. Konowalchuk becomes the fourth head coach in Springfield’s seven-year history, taking the torch from interim coach Daniel Tkaczuk, who took over for Drew Bannister following his promotion to the St. Louis Blues in December. Tkaczuk led the Thunderbirds to a 18-29-3 record, following Bannister’s 12-8-0 start. The Thunderbirds haven’t yet provided details on which assistant coaches Konowalchuk will retain.
Konowalchuk is best known for his years as a player, becoming a staple of the Washington Capitals lineup between 1992 and 2003. He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2003-04 season and was forced to retire due to a heart condition in 2006, after missing much of the 2005-06 campaign. He returned to the team in the 2009-10 season, spending two years as an assistant coach before moving into a head coaching role with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. Seattle was where Konowalchuk made his mark, leading the team to the playoffs in five seasons straight – capped off with a WHL Finals appearance and championship win respectively in his final two seasons. Konowalchuk managed an impressive list of Thunderbirds alums, including Shea Theodore, Mathew Barzal, Keegan Kolesar, and Ethan Bear. He’d move back to the NHL in the year following his 2017 WHL Championship, joining the Anaheim Ducks as an assistant coach for one season before returning to the WHL and then spending last season in an AHL assistant role.
Konowalchuk will now take on his biggest role yet, taking the reigns of a Springfield Thunderbirds team just two years removed from a race to the Calder Cup Finals. They’d ultimately get swept by the Chicago Wolves but have held on to their playoff hopes in the seasons since. Konowalchuk found consistent success the last time he coached a Thunderbirds roster, and could be poised for big opportunity should he find a groove again.
Other notes from around the minor leagues:
- The Florida Panthers have signed forward Jamie Armstrong to a one-year, two-way contract. He’s expected to join the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, adding to their long list of depth forwards. Armstrong – son of Utah general manager Bill Armstrong – is coming off of his graduate year at Boston College, where he recorded 12 points in 32 games. It was his first year as an Eagle, having spent the previous four years of his collegiate career across the road with Boston University. He totaled 26 points across 84 games with Boston University, filling in as stout bottom-six depth.
- Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest is a candidate to fill the Rochester Americans’ coaching vacancy, shares Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). Lysowski added that the Buffalo Sabres are hoping to have their AHL coach solidified prior to June’s NHL Draft. Forrest would take over for former Rochester coach Seth Appert, who was promoted to Lindy Ruff’s staff in early May. Both Forrest and Appert have deep roots in USA Hockey, with Appert previously serving as the head coach of the U.S. National Team Development program (NTDP), while Forrest is a former NTDP assistant coach and led Team USA to a Silver Medal at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship.
East Notes: Jarvis, Byram, Shattenkirk
Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis revealed he’s played through injuries for much of the season, sharing with reporters that he tore the labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder just 15 games into the year, per Chip Alexander of The News and Observer (Twitter link). Jarvis said he experienced pain and discomfort from the injuries all season long, though wearing a shoulder brace helped reduce how often his shoulder slipped out of place. He also shared that he broke his finger during Carolina’s Round One series against the New York Islanders, though Jarvis described that injury as more of an annoyance than anything.
To hear the extent of what the 22-year-old Jarvis suffered through this season is incredible. He had a career year despite operating with fewer than two healthy shoulders, recording a dazzling 33 goals and 67 points in 81 appearances. He ranked second on the team in both goals and points, behind Sebastian Aho’s 34-goal, 89-point campaign. Jarvis held onto that impressive scoring in the postseason, netting four goals and nine points in 11 games – tied for third on the team. He’s now set for free agency, having played the final year of his entry-level contract, and should be one of Carolina’s top priorities. The young winger’s performance this year was enough to earn him a substantial raise, but the promise of what he could do with a fully healthy season could earn him even more. Carolina is projected to have $27.35MM in cap space this summer, with Jarvis, Brady Skjei, Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, and 10 other players facing free agency.
Other notes from around the league:
- Buffalo Sabres, and Team Canada, defenseman Bowen Byram was suspended for one game of the World Championship after slashing Team Finland’s Jesse Puljujarvi in the nether region following a scrap in the slot (Twitter link). The incident marked a string of gritty plays between Canada and Finland in what would end up a 5-3 Canada victory. Byram has been an important piece of Canada’s blue line, recording four points in five games while serving on the team’s second pair. He’ll now miss Canada’s Sunday matchup against Team Switzerland, making way for Olen Zellweger to take on a bigger role. Zellweger currently has four assists in five games.
- Boston Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk expressed his desires to play again next season to reporters on Sunday, shares Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (Twitter link). Shattenkirk, 35, concluded his one-year deal with the Bruins with 24 points in 61 games – adding one assist in six postseason games. While certainly not flashy scoring, the veteran defender showed his ability to make a difference on the third pair, and brought invaluable experience to the lineup. He’s now played for four different teams over the last six seasons and could be set to increase that number this summer, with no shortage of teams looking for cheap and reliable defensive depth.
NHL-Affiliated Prospects Playing In 2024 Memorial Cup
The field for the 2024 Memorial Cup, the top club tournament in junior hockey, is set. The QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, the OHL’s London Knights and the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors all swept their respective league championship series within the last two days to advance to the CHL championship tournament, joining the host Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.
This year marks the first Memorial Cup held in the United States since 1998, which was hosted by the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. The Spirit will attempt to become the first U.S.-based team to win since the Chiefs in 2008, and they have a strong chance. They’re stronger than a typical host team, finishing second in the league in the regular season with a 50-16-2 record and trailing London by just two points. They were eliminated by London in six games in the Western Conference Final.
The Knights lead the way with 10 NHL-affiliated prospects on their roster, including two first-round picks in Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk and Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan. The latter was named the OHL playoffs MVP after leading the Knights in scoring with 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points in just 18 games. He had 15 points in four games in their championship sweep over the Oshawa Generals.
If you’re looking for some non-Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to watch, check to see if your favorite NHL team has prospects suiting up in the tournament, which begins May 24:
Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL champion)
D Mikaël Diotte (Devils, free agent signing)
RW Ethan Gauthier (Lightning, 2023, 37th overall)
RW Alexis Gendron (Flyers, 2022, 220th overall)
D Vsevolod Komarov (Sabres, 2022, 134th overall)
NHL Utah 2022 first-round pick D Maveric Lamoureux is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.
London Knights (OHL champion)
C Denver Barkey (Flyers, 2023, 95th overall)
D Oliver Bonk (Flyers, 2023, 22nd overall)
C Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs, 2023, 28th overall)
D Jackson Edward (Bruins, 2022, 200th overall)
D Isaiah George (Islanders, 2022, 98th overall)
RW Kasper Halttunen (Sharks, 2023, 36th overall)
C Jacob Julien (Jets, 2023, 146th overall)
C Kaleb Lawrence (Kings, 2022, 215th overall)
C Max McCue (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Landon Sim (Blues, 2022, 184th overall)
Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL champion)
RW Jagger Firkus (Kraken, 2022, 35th overall)
D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets, 2022, 12th overall)
D Kalem Parker (Wild, 2023, 181st overall)
D Vojtech Port (Ducks, 2023, 161st overall)
LW Martin Rysavy (Blue Jackets, 2021, 197th overall)
C Matthew Savoie (Sabres, 2022, 9th overall)
C Brayden Yager (Penguins, 2023, 14th overall)
Saginaw Spirit (host)
C Owen Beck (Canadiens, 2022, 33rd overall)
LW Josh Bloom (Canucks, acquired from Sabres in 2023 trade for Riley Stillman)
D Rodwin Dionicio (Ducks, 2023, 129th overall)
D Jorian Donovan (Senators, 2022, 136th overall)
C Hunter Haight (Wild, 2022, 47th overall)
C Ethan Hay (Lightning, 2023, 211th overall)
G Nolan Lalonde (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Matyas Sapovaliv (Golden Knights, 2022, 48th overall)
C Joseph Willis (Predators, 2023, 111th overall)
Buffalo Sabres Not Expected To Re-Sign Zemgus Girgensons, Victor Olofsson
After failing to make the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season, the Buffalo Sabres are expected to change their secondary scoring options this summer. According to David Pagnotta of TheFourthPeriod, the Sabres are not expected to offer contracts to pending unrestricted free agents Victor Olofsson or Zemgus Girgensons.
The reported news surrounding Olofsson does not come as a surprise, as the forward has seen his ice time steadily cut since the end of the 2019-20 NHL season. A reliable scoring option in years past, Olofsson has reached the 20-goal mark three separate times in six years with the Sabres organization, but has been known for poor defensive play as well as his play away from the puck. Suiting up in 314 games for Buffalo, Olofsson has scored 90 goals and 92 assists, with 33.5% of his production coming on the Sabres powerplay.
Girgensons, on the other hand, has been a consistent defensively minded forward in Buffalo for the last decade. Drafted by the Sabres organization with the 12th overall pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, Girgensons has played in nearly 700 games for Buffalo, scoring 89 goals and 188 points while being a quality penalty killer to boot.
Throughout his tenure with the Sabres, Girgensons has been through several ups and downs, playing under five different head coaches since his rookie season. On the open market, Girgensons will be hard-pressed to earn more than his current $2.5MM AAV but should be able to find a spot on nearly every team’s fourth line.
Letting Girgensons and Olofsson pursue greener pastures this summer, coupled with the Sabres moving on from Casey Mittelstadt and Kyle Okposo at this year’s trade deadline, it is apparent that Buffalo is looking to redesign its forward core. The organization has plenty of prospect talent at the forward position, and should now have the flexibility to fill in the holes in any manner.