We haven’t even hoisted the Stanley Cup, but it feels like the dog days of summer have arrived. For every other team outside of the final two, eyes are fixed on the future. Though the NHL Draft will garner most of the attention, free agency is critical as well. For the Buffalo Sabres, what they do (or don’t do) will have an impact.
While the focus will be on which players the Sabres should target, there are a few names that have come up that might not be the best fit. Having said that, they should definitely avoid pursuing these names whether there is mutual interest or not.
4 Players for the Sabres to Avoid in Free Agency
Finding a consensus on the top unrestricted free agents available can be a bit tough, but the same names appear somewhere. When it comes to the Sabres, the first two players on the list are most often referenced by Sabres fans but should be avoided like the plague.
Steven Stamkos, Center/Winger
Let’s get this out of the way immediately: Steven Stamkos was never, ever going to sign with the Sabres. It doesn’t make any sense no matter how badly some Sabres fans want the team to be in contention for every major name to hit the market.
Related: Buffalo Sabres’ 2024 NHL Free Agent Targets
Stamkos has been a very good to elite player for the majority of his career. He battled leg injuries right around the time of the pandemic but bounced back with 106 points in 2021-22 and has been a point-per-game player since.
All that said, there are two reasons the Sabres shouldn’t even be thinking about this. For starters, the 34-year-old is no doubt looking to finish his career in Tampa Bay. He’s been there since Day 1 and won’t leave unless the team can’t be in the realm of what he expects.
Speaking of that, he’s coming off of an eight-year deal that paid him $8.5 million average annual value (AAV). He might take the hometown discount and agree to something similar or slightly higher to remain in Tampa. Elsewhere, he is likely a $10 million player at the very least. For a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since Stamkos’ second NHL season, that kind of investment will be damaging in the long run.
Patrick Kane, Winger
When talking about the possible landing spots for Kane, the Sabres come up frequently. Which begs the question, “If Patrick Kane wasn’t from Buffalo, would they come up at all?” The hometown connection is certainly something, but it isn’t nearly enough to make that move.
Kane’s name has been linked to Buffalo for a long time now and until it happens, bank on it not happening. He wants to win another title and Buffalo isn’t even close to that point. More importantly, the move makes no sense for the Sabres.
For starters, Kane is likely going to command a multi-year deal worth $5-$6 million annually, a steep increase from the one-year, $2.75 million deal he signed with the Detroit Red Wings. At 35 years old, this isn’t the Kane of even 2021-22 (92 points in 78 games). He’s a pretty good player and the Sabres were awful offensively last season. But they are expecting bounce-back years from Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Dylan Cozens, and already have their top two right-wingers set.
The move makes zero sense, and the hometown connection seems to be the only real one. He will sign elsewhere and hopefully, the Sabres can finally stop being connected to the aging winger.
Elias Lindholm, Center/Winger
On paper, this move makes a lot of sense for the Sabres. Elias Lindholm has a solid frame at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds. He’s good in the faceoff dot and has shown the ability to be an upper-echelon offensive player (42 goals, 82 points in 2021-22).
That said, the move is a very scary one for a couple of reasons. For starters, Lindholm has been up and down as an offensive player. He took a step forward with the Calgary Flames compared to his time with the Carolina Hurricanes. Then again, he scored just 15 goals in 75 games this season between the Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
Another thing that should dissuade the Sabres is the cost of bringing Lindholm in. It is very likely that he commands a contract in the 6-8-year range at around $7.5 million per season. That’s a big commitment to make to someone who will be 30 at year’s end. Given the core of this team, that’s too big an investment to make in a guy who has been anything but reliable and consistent.
Jonathan Marchessault, Winger
Jonathan Marchessault has been a focal point for the Vegas Golden Knights, a key part of the team’s Stanley Cup championship run a year ago as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner. He’s also been a consistently productive winger despite being undersized.
Coming off of a career-best 42-goal season, Marchessault is going to command a raise on his $5 million AAV. At 33 years old, it is hard to believe that his best days are ahead of him, especially because he had never scored more than 30 goals previously.
While it would be nice to add his competitiveness and feistiness to the second line, the cost will be too great. He might not get a huge raise on that $5 million mark but much more than that makes it a tough sell for the Sabres. If they could get rid of Jeff Skinner, maybe, but more than two years of Marchessault feels like a bad move for whoever inks that deal.
Final Thoughts on Free Agency
In all likelihood, the Sabres won’t do much of anything in free agency. They may sign a bottom-six forward who can win faceoffs and add something defensively, but the team will be looking for rebound seasons from much of its core.
Making a big move in free agency might seem splashy, but it can negatively set the tone for years to come. Having just moved on from Kyle Okposo’s awful deal, the Sabres will want to build around their current core and be smart about the contracts that they hand out.
