Sabres Off To Decent Start, But What GM Jarmo Kekalainen Needs To Do Is Pull Off A Blockbuster Tradee

The Buffalo Sabres had a tough test Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, but they ultimately fell to the Habs in a 4-3 overtime win for Montreal. The ‘loser’ point was beneficial to the Sabres, but against arguably the Atlantic Division’s top team, Buffalo had an opportunity to send a shot across the bow to the Canadiens, and they failed to do so.

The Sabres are by no means a perfect team, but they are very much a work-in-progress. You might say the same about every team, but Buffalo’s pressure is different in that their15-year Stanley Cup playoff drought ended last season, and they now have to take the next step forward – and that’s getting beyond the second round next spring.

But what the Sabres really need to do – something they owe their loyal, long-suffering  fans – is pull off a blockbuster trade involving one player or another.

Could that be current Winnipeg Jets malcontent goalie Connor Hellebuyck? It could be. Could it be Detroit Red Wings star center Dylan Larkin? Highly unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Or could there be a star player who suddenly appears on the trade block? That’s the most-likely development for Buffalo. 

The Sabres have $1.8-million in salary cap space, so if they are going to acquire a name-brand player with a high salary, they’re going to have to move out money, either in the blockbuster trade, or in a subsequent move. But the other thing Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen could use in a blockbuster swap is his first-round draft picks. The Sabres have all of their first-rounders in the next three drafts, so peeling off one of them wouldn’t hurt a win-now team like Buffalo.

The Sabres don’t need any high-end talent on ‘D, but their current goaltending setup doesn’t inspire much confidence. Veterans Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis have sub-.900 save percentages, and that’s why Buffalo has been linked to Hellebuyck. But the other area Buffalo could target is their top-six group of forwards. If the Toronto Maple Leafs had the assets to acquire star winger Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Sabres have enough trade capital to pick up a similar type of player.

Kekalainen has yet to orchestrate a blockbuster move of any sort in his one year (approximately) running the team. The truth is, Buffalo played so well that Kekalainen didn’t have an acute problem to deal with. But now that the Sabres have settled in a little bit, they could significantly shift the balance of power by bringing in a Grade-A talent.

You can give a player like Ryan McLeod his due for being an above-average NHL talent, but is he a star? No. And that’s what Buffalo needs – star power. That’s what Buffalo fans deserve – a player who can impose their will on games and electrify long-suffering Sabres fans. Some of Buffalo’s youngsters could evolve into superstars some day down the line. But in this moment in the Sabres’ competitive cycle, they need to be swinging for the fences on the trade market.

Sometimes, you never know what players come available. And if Kekalainen shakes the trees in the coming weeks and months, a high-end player could fall into Buffalo’s lap. The Sabres have every reason to bring in a star-caliber player, and if Kekalainen can acquire a top forward or goalie, that could prove to be the final piece of Buffalo’s championship puzzle.