Opinion: Sabres Need Major Trade To GIve Them A Well-Earned Shakeup

The Buffalo Sabres haven’t had many great games this season, and their 7-5-3 record reflects that fact, Thus, the Sabres’ name has been heard in the rumor mill almost constantly. 

To wit; are the Sabres pursuing Detroit Red Wings star center Dylan Larkin? Some reports would say so. And although Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen should be credited with at least trying to land a big fish on the trade market, even if players like Larkin (and last year, like St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko) refuse to waive their no-trade clause to move to Buffalo. 

But the more we see the Sabres this season, the more we feel like Buffalo needs material changes to handle the murderer’s row that is the Atlantic Division. Kekalainen can see the logjam in the Atlantic as well as anyone, and he knows this version of the team as currently constructed is not good enough to be a playoff team. And the Sabres’ recent woes only confirm it. 

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff has grown tired of his team’s often-listless play, and in Friday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, he healthy-scratched veteran center Ryan McLeod and young blueliner Louis Crevier. McLeod is under contract for another two seasons after this one at $5-million per season, while Crevier is signed for another four seasons at $4-million per year. McLeod has only three points in 15 games prior to Friday night’s healthy scratch. And Crevier has been one of Buffalo’s worst defensemen. Thus, Ruff was well within his rights to healthy-scratch the two.

But the bigger move Kekalainen must make is a major trade. He shouldn’t make a move simply for the sake of making a move, but the longer he goes without significantly changing things for Buffalo, the more he tacitly accepts this team is good enough as-is. And we know that nobody in the Sabres organization should feel comfortable with the status quo.

Thus, there should be more pressure than ever for Kekalainen to start making big roster moves. Before you know it, it’ll be January – and before you know it, it’ll be the trade deadline on March 1. Buffalo hasn’t traditionally been a big player at the deadline, and if Kekalainen can’t find a trade partner well in advance of the trade deadline, the spotlight will be on him in a major way.

Look, we know Buffalo isn’t a desirable location right now. But in other pro sports, star players show they can handle playing in a small market. The NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder recently won a championship. Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers just won a World Series championship. So the notion that nobody wants to play for the Sabres doesn’t wash with us. 

The trick for Kekalainen will be to find those players who are prepared to play in Buffalo. He can’t accept ‘no’ for an answer, and Kekalainen has to be proactive and not reactive when he’s carving up his roster.

Material change doesn’t mean all-encompassing change. But this particular mix of Buffalo players simply aren’t getting the job done. And until the Sabres get an upgrade via the trade block, we’re likely to see this ‘one-step forward, one step back’ trend for the foreseeable future. ‘’’

Kekalainen just can’t sit on his hands and look like a passive GM much longer. He’s shown he can make smart, big moves when he dealt defenseman Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks in return for the fourth-overall pick (which the Sabres used to pick star D-man of-the-future Daxon Rudoplh). 

Kekalainen has to continue making strong moves to keep up with the Joneses in the Atlantic. And if he has trade paralysis, Kekalainen could find his tenure in Buffalo to be rather short.