The Buffalo Sabres could go a number of different ways as the NHL is in the midst of trade season following the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency on July 1. With the departure of winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram, GM Jarmo Kekalainen is expected to seek out offensive reinforcements to make up for the 44 goals lost by their departures. 

Over the next few weeks, we will continue to look at potential options for the Sabres.  Some of the possibilities are not going to match Tuch’s stats, but any additions could provide some relief to the pressure that youngsters Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, or Noah Ostlund will be under to make up the deficit.

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Kekalainen ideally would like to make up as much of the 60-to-70 point production that he lost with Tuch, and another possibility is someone who would offer more offensive punch, Detroit Red Wings winger Alex Debrincat. The 28-year-old is coming off a career-high 85-point season with the Wings, but his contract situation and where the club is going may have GM Steve Yzerman in a trade posture with him. 

DeBrincat was originally a second round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2016, and has been remarkably consistent in nine NHL seasons, scoring over 20 goals eight times; included a career-high 41 goals in 2019, 2022, and last season. The diminutive winger led Detroit with 15 power play goals, and would be able to fill the role of Tuch on the Sabres first unit. 

Detroit may be at a crossroads, with team captain Dylan Larkin asking for a trade, and future Hall-of-Famer Patrick Kane heading elsewhere. There has been chatter that the Wings may reset, moving off Larkin and DeBrincat for younger NHL talent and building around younger core players Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. DeBrincat is entering the final year of a four-year deal with the Wings at $7.875 million AAV and has a 16-team no-trade list; facts that could mitigate the return Yzerman can extract from other teams. 

The odds of the Wings getting NHL-ready players back are better if he is traded before the season, whereas a trade closer to the deadline will likely yield more futures.  This would suit the Sabres needs perfectly, as they are in a weaker position without Tuch and Bowen Byram’s scoring abilities. One potential factor in a possible DeBrincat trade is the status of Kane, who has been his linemate in Chicago and Detroit.  

 If Kane signs with Buffalo, it is possible that DeBrincat would waive his no-trade clause to go to the Sabres, or vice-versa. Unlike free agents like Anthony Mantha or Anaheim’s Chris Kreider, DeBrincat’s acquisition would not come cheaply. Yzerman in his haste to quickly reset the Wings may ask for young NHLers like Konsta Helenius or Noah Ostlund, but Kekalainen might be able to construct a deal around winger Jack Quinn, who is signed through next season at $3.375 million and is under control for the next two seasons.  

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