Sabres Need to Consider All Options at the Trade Deadline
Sabres must re-evaluate their options for the season following Jack Quinn's injury, including considering trading a key piece of their roster. Plus, a check in with the prospect system.
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Buffalo Sabres newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Sabres writers.
In today’s edition, we have a prospect update and looks into why the Sabres should consider trading Jeff Skinner, their plans for this season following Jack Quinn’s injury, and the Sabres’ history with Canada. 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’ Prospect Update: Feb. 1
February 1, 2024 by JP Gambatese (THW Substack Premium Content)
In the past month or so, the Sabres’ farm system has had a bit of a rollercoaster. For one, their performance at the World Junior Championship was excellent — almost all of the Sabres’ prospects were impactful for their respective squads. Past that, though, it’s been a bit of a slog for the farm. Their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, has struggled to score much over the past 30+ days despite boasting a respectable 20-15-3 record, and when they have scored it has either been the depth players or older guys.
Sabres Need to Trade Jeff Skinner to Maximize His Value
January 31, 2024 by Jacob D. Strozyk
As the Buffalo Sabres continue to grow as a team and develop the young talent that they have in their prospect pool, the reality is that they will need to make roster space to actually use them. This means shedding both older players, and the cap hit that comes with them, and the player at the top of both of those lists is Jeff Skinner. This in no way is a reflection of any poor play by Skinner and trying to dump him off on some other team just to get rid of him, rather it serves as a simple way of making cap room to sign budding players like JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn to long term contracts, and allowing them to move up in the lineup as needed.
Skinner has been a reliable goal-scoring threat since the days of Ralph Krueger ended. Playing under Don Granato gave him a new confidence and a new life that has allowed him to flourish as the goal scorer he is. With this, he is currently at the highest trade value that he has been sitting at in years, and it is time to capitalize on that value so the Sabres can allow their young roster players a chance to move up, and their minor/junior league prospects to get a shot at playing in the NHL. If Kevyn Adams isn’t going to trade any of the prospects, then moving someone like Skinner would give a perfect opportunity for someone like Jiri Kulich to step in and show he can be an NHL scoring player.
Sabres’ Plans Following Jack Quinn’s Injury
January 31, 2024 by Jacob D. Strozyk
The Buffalo Sabres really cannot catch a break this season, and apparently neither can Jack Quinn. On Monday it was announced that the second-year forward underwent surgery to correct a lower-body injury he sustained this past Saturday in San Jose. He’s expected to be out for a minimum of eight weeks.
Given that this comes just over a month after Quinn returned from missing nearly the entire first half, it would be a massive understatement to say the news is less than ideal. He’ll have to bide his time on the shelf once again while the Sabres, who have been gaining momentum as of late, will have to find a contingency plan.
Buffalo Sabres’ History with Canada
January 30, 2024 by Tom P.
The first thing you’ll hear before the puck drops at a Buffalo Sabres home game is the Canadian national anthem. The Sabres are the only American professional sports team to play “O Canada” before every home game, regardless of whether their opponent is Canadian or not. What’s more, the Sabres name is spelled using Canadian English and was created by a Toronto filmmaker.
The KeyBank Center, home of the Sabres, is less than a 10-minute drive from the Canadian border—so close that you can see Canada from the arena. As a result, a significant number of Sabres season ticket holders reside in Southern Ontario. Thousands of Canadians make the short trip across the Niagara River each season to watch the team play, including fans from the Greater Toronto Area who are unwilling to pay the extreme prices to attend Toronto Maple Leafs games, the most expensive tickets in the NHL.