Opinion: Sabres' Biggest Trade Chip Is This Veteran Center

The Buffalo Sabres currently have approximately $1.935-million in salary cap space with which to give GM Jarmo Kekalanen enough to work with as he tries improving the team. If Kekalainen hangs onto that cap space, it projects to increase that total to $7.74-million by this year’s trade deadline. Teams don’t carry over their cap space, so there’s no excuse for Kekalainen to not do his best to improve and spend to the limit.

With that being said, if the Sabres are to bring in difference-making, veteran talent, they have to give up something of value – and from this writer’s perspective, Buffalo’s biggest trade chip certainly isn’t a star player like Tage Thompson. And it isn’t their three first-round draft picks, either.

That’s not to say Kekalainen shouldn’t have the right to peel off one of those first-rounders if that’s what puts them over the top as they pursue a difference-making performer. The Sabres are in win-now mode, and that’s not going to happen unless Kekalainen moves a first-round pick to improve his team right now.’’’

But the best trade chip for Buffalo at this moment, from our point-of-view, is veteran center Ryan McLeod. 

The 27–year-old has improved his point total in every one of his five NHL seasons, starting with 21 points in 2022-23 and reaching the 54-point plateau this past season. Given that McLeod is under a terrific contract for another two seasons after this season – paying him just $5-million per year -- he’s bringing a cost-controlled product to the table, and teams will see that and wonder if they can pry McLeod out of Buffalo’s hands. 

And unlike other prominent players, McLeod can be traded to any team the Sabres want to move him to. In the two other seasons left on his contract, McLeod has a limited no-trade clause allowing him to veto a trade to one of five teams of his choosing. But that would still allow him to be dealt to 26 other teams.

This is why McLeod is so valuable right now. He’s cost-controlled on an extremely team-friendly contract. He’s approaching his prime. And he plays a position that all teams always want. 

McLeod has only three points in 12 games thus far this year, and some teams will obviously want to use that as leverage. But McLeod’s age and financial situation are such that any team looking for help will have to acquiesce to Buffalo’s demands. There’s no pressure to trade McLeod, so Kekalainen can wait a little longer until he gets the offer he could be looking for in any McLeod trade.

McLeod may yet be discovering his ceiling as an NHLer, but it’s safe to say he’s not a first-liner. Slowly-but-surely, he’s made himself a very valuable player at a crucial position. But if acquiring a next-level player in a blockbuster transaction brings the Sabres an older, brand-name veteran Buffalo fans will adore, trading McLeod will have to be a necessary evil. 

Most hockey fans couldn’t pick McLeod out of a police lineup, but hockey executives see McLeod as talented and quick enough to improve their roster. And if Kekalainen can find the right fit in terms of the assets the Sabres would be looking for in any McLeod swap, the Sabres have to do it. 

McLeod could’ve been going to the Winnipeg Jets if Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff went that route and chose Buffalo as Connor Hellebuyck’s new home, but there could be other situations where McLeod is the odd man out and gets sent packing out of Western New York. He’s not a superstar, but teams will look at McLeod’s competitive trajectory and convince themselves they can help McLeod get improve.

So, if you’re wondering what Kekalainen can do on the trade front, look no further than McLeod. Yes, it’s true Buffalo will solve one problem and create problems in another area in any McLeod trade, but this is where Kekalainen’s boldness and creativity comes into play. He can’t be stagnant in improving his group, so Kekalainen absolutely must seriously consider trading McLeod. 

He’s been skating on the Sabres’ all four lines at different times, and McLeod just isn’t getting the job done. It’s that simple, and it’s an acute issue for Buffalo. McLeod is someone a team believes is still finding his prime form, so Buffalo could and should be demanding a significant return in any McLeod trade. 

McLeod hasn’t worn out his welcome in Buffalo. But the Sabres may need him to use in a trade that improves Buffalo over the long-term. McLeod could help many other teams with their center depth, but to acquire him would require Kekalainen to drum up a bidding war for McLeod's services. 

That’s Kekalainen’s challenge, and if he fails to upgrade up front, Kekalainen could (later than sooner) have his job security jeopardized. McLeod is Buffalo's best trade chip, and the Sabres can't afford to hang on to a mid-tier player when they could parlay that player into a long-term asset that will contribute big things for Buffalo.