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 replace the 60-to-70 point production that he lost with Tuch, and one possibility is Seattle Kraken winger Jared McCann. The 30-year-old is in the final year of a five-year, $25 million contract with the Kraken, and his name has begun to pop up on trade rumors. After starting his career in Vancouver in 2015, the winger played three years in Florida, and another three with the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The Pens traded him to Toronto, who exposed him in the 2022 expansion draft, where the Kraken claimed him. The Stratford, ON native has scored 20 or more goals in each of his five seasons in the Pacific Northwest, with his career-high 40 goals in 2023. McCann played only 52 games last season due to recurrent lower-body injuries, but still posted 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists).

McCann has a 10-team modified no-trade list, which could still be a hurdle that Kekalainen has to clear with some players. The cost certainty of a $5 million cap hit would be attractive to the Sabres with their limited cap space, and the fact that he could be a one-year rental would keep the trade price down. Moving him would be a head-scratcher for former Sabres GM Jason Botterill, but it could be indicative that McCann or the Kraken are not open to a contract extension.  

The Sabres have to be looking for someone who could replace as much of Tuch’s production as possible, and in the final year of his contract, McCann would be motivated to put up big numbers in advance of hitting the open market next July. The fact that the Sabres are relying on internal improvement of their young players to make up the difference is a risky proposition, since them taking the next step is not linear. The addition of someone like McCann or Buffalo native Patrick Kane will not make up for all the offense and leadership lost with the departure of Tuch, but it would definitely help.  

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