4 Free Agents the Buffalo Sabres Could Target This Summer

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Sabres and general manager Kevyn Adams are entering another offseason without a playoff appearance, but this time, with an undeniable sense of urgency.

After a disappointing season, it’s up to Adams to make choices that will help Buffalo move from playoff fringes to playoff contenders. Whether it’s a trade or a free-agent signing, it’s reasonable to expect the Sabres to be aggressive this summer and bolster a forward group that underperformed last season.

“We’ve been disciplined,” Adams said at a pre-draft news conference Thursday. “We’ve stuck to our plan. But I think we’re in a different phase now where we have to be really open and look to make those types of decisions.”

The Sabers could enter Friday’s NHL draft with $31.5 million under the salary cap, according to CapFriendly, if rumors of a Jeff Skinner buyout come to fruition. While the big fish in this free agent class like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault or Teuvo Teraveinen may not be inclined to sign in Buffalo unless overpaid, there are several other less expensive options that would add styles of much-needed two-way play for the Sabres’ bottom six players and would allow Adams to scour the trade market for bigger upgrades.

Assuming the big names are out of the picture, what free agents could the Sabers add to bolster the forward group behind their top line? Here are four possible targets for Buffalo when free agency opens at noon Monday:

Warren Foegele

If you followed the Stanley Cup Finals this year, you probably heard Warren Foegele’s name mentioned several times.

The 28-year-old is coming off an exceptional season, with 20 goals and 41 points in 82 regular season games. He added three goals and eight points in the playoffs, including two in the Stanley Cup Final.

Foegele’s ability to create chances and energy on the run stands out the most, as he ranked second in Edmonton in rush attempts and third in high-danger individual chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. While some of his numbers might be inflated by playing alongside Oilers star Leon Draisaitl for just under 400 minutes, Foegele actually posted a slightly better expected goals percentage (58.3 per cent) in the 791 minutes he played without the German, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The Ontarian is not necessarily known for his defensive impact, but he is capable in his own end. He had by far the best season of his career in terms of advanced defensive metrics in 2022-23 while in Edmonton, according to Evolving-Hockey.

Foegele’s offensive potential makes him an intriguing addition to Buffalo’s midfield, with the ability to move up and down the lineup to provide a spark. Evolving-Hockey is pricing in a four-year, $4.2 million contract for Foegele.

William Carrier

Sometimes, to move forward, you have to go back.

Will Carrier, 29, began his NHL career in 2016 with the Sabres, carving out a role in the lower half of the draft before the Vegas Golden Knights selected him in the expansion draft the following offseason. He has since spent seven seasons in Vegas in a similar role and helped the Knights win the Stanley Cup a year ago.

Carrier has consistently been one of the Knights’ best defensive forwards at even strength over the past few seasons, bringing a forecheck, physical edge and speed that would likely fit well into new Sabres coach Lindy Ruff’s system.

That physical, fast-paced style of play comes with a downside, though: injuries. Carrier has played 60 or more games just twice in his eight NHL seasons, making him a risk for any team targeting him. Similarly, while he has good speed and a good transition game, he has never been known as a finisher, scoring double-digits just once in his career.

That said, Carrier would be a great fit as a fourth-line forecheck winger, and would likely come at a fairly cheap price. Evolving-Hockey projects the old Saber at around $1.3 million AAV.

Yakov Trenin

Russian center Yakov Trenin emerges as another defensive forward the Sabers could look to target.

The 27-year-old is strong on the forecheck and could be used in matchup situations against other teams’ top players. While he’s far from an offensive gold medalist, never scoring more than 24 points in a season, he produced a field goal percentage above 54 percent expected during his time with Nashville and Colorado combined last season. He would also bring much-needed playoff experience to Buffalo.

Trenin also played 141 minutes on the penalty kill last season and had great success in that role with the Predators, leading all forwards by a notable margin in penalty-killing defense metrics, according to Evolving-Hockey.

Evolving-Hockey projects Trenin under a four-year, $3.4 million AAV deal.

Antoine Duclair

If Buffalo does indeed part ways with Jeff Skinner, Anthony Duclair could be a potential replacement.

Duclair has already been on quite the NHL tour in his first 10 seasons, playing for eight different teams before his 29th birthday. However, despite his journeyman reputation, offense and speed tend to follow him wherever he goes.

His career year came in 2021-22 with Florida, when he scored 31 goals and 58 points in 74 games. He had 16 goals and 27 points in 56 games on a terrible San Jose team last season before a trade with Tampa Bay saw him jump to nearly a point per player, albeit in a small sample of 17 games. His expected goal share at even strength also increased from 41% with the Sharks to 56% with the Lightning.

There is a slight injury concern with Duclair, who missed significant time during the 2022-23 season with an Achilles injury, but he rebounded to play 73 games the following campaign. Duclair would also add another weapon to Buffalo’s power play, which ranked 29th in the NHL last season.

It’s reasonable to assume that Duclair would likely want some stability with his next contract, and Evolving-Hockey is projecting a four-year deal at $4.9 million per year for him. Buffalo would certainly have the space under the salary cap to accommodate him, but it’s questionable whether the Sabers would want to offer a contract of that length to a mid-sixth forward with so many promising prospects in their pipeline.