Sabres Bracing for Selling at the Trade Deadline
Plus, the team's struggles with defensive deployment.
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Buffalo Sabres newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Sabres writers.
In today’s edition, we take a look at the Sabres’ most likely trade candidates and how the team could stand for a change in their deployment of defensemen. It would be great if you’d share the THW Substack with your friends and family so that they can subscribe and enjoy all the latest.
Sabres’ 4 Most Likely Trade Candidates
January 25, 2024 by Matthew Morris
With the Buffalo Sabres’ 2023-24 season inching ever closer to a free-fall status, it’s becoming less and less likely each day that they’ll be looking to upgrade in any way at the upcoming trade deadline, even though they could definitely stand to.
It’s far more likely that the Sabres will be sellers as March 8 approaches and try to clear out space that they’ll need going forward. The following four players, in particular, are approaching the end of their contracts and stand little to no chance of returning next season. As such, it would make perfect sense for Buffalo to deal them away and get something in return rather than have them walk away for nothing over the summer.
Sabres Need to Deploy Their Defensemen Differently
January 24, 2024 by Jacob D. Strozyk
Consistency and complacency have been two of the biggest issues plaguing the Buffalo Sabres in the 2023-24 season. Head coach Don Granato’s unwillingness to adapt to given scenarios, and put players in the best position to succeed has hampered both the defensive and offensive parts of the roster. As the offense continues to struggle, they need to find a way to shore up their defense, or they will continue to lose close games.
When a team is up by two or three goals in the third period, a fanbase should not be waiting around for what feels like an inevitable implosion. Unfortunately for the Sabres, this is the case since the young defensive core has not shown a consistent ability to lock down games when things are down to the wire. If they want to show more defensive responsibility, while also giving themselves opportunities to transition to offense, they need to make the following adjustments to their defense pairings going forward.