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, but also someone who can fill the leadership gap. Someone who teams may be shying away from as a dependable option is 2016 second overall pick Patrik Laine. 

The 28-year-old was selected after Auston Matthews in Buffalo a decade ago and started out as a deadly sniper with the Winnipeg Jets, scoring 44 goals in his sophomore season in 2017-18, but injuries soon began to be a factor with the big Finn and in January, 2021, Kekalainen swung a deal sending Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Jets for Laine and Jack Roslovic. 

Over the last five seasons, the problem for Laine has not been talent or ability, it has been availability. He has scored 20 or more goals three times, but has not exceeded 56 games in any year. After struggling through the 2023-24 season and playing only 18 games, Laine entered the NHL/PA Player Assistance Program, and the following summer was dealt to Montreal. 

He scored 20 goals in 52 games in his first season with the Habs, but last season he played just five games before undergoing core muscle surgery. Indications were that Laine was fully healthy at the end of the regular season, but the Canadiens did not activate him for the playoffs. 

Laine is primarily a power-play specialist at this point, setting up at the top of the faceoff circle with his booming one-timer. With the departure of Tuch, the big winger could provide another weapon on the man advantage along with Tage Thompson, but at five-on-five, he is a defensive liability. 

The positives to bringing him in is that he likely would be open to a low salary/short-term deal with performance bonuses that could hit the Sabres cap next season, but if he can stay healthy, Laine would provide some of the offense that they lost with Tuch leaving for Washington. 

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