The 32-year-old winger had 93 penalty minutes in 33 games with Tampa Bay this season
The Buffalo Sabres face a season where accountability will be stressed under head coach Lindy Ruff and areas of need will have to be addressed by GM Kevyn Adams for the club to snap their 13-year playoff drought. We have been taking a look at players who could be potential trade targets this summer over the last few weeks in advance of a year that has to be considered playoffs or bust, but now we will take a look at who the Sabres could potentially be pursuing when the free agent market opens up on July 1.
Buffalo is not likely to pursue big-ticket players like Jake Guentzel or Elias Lindholm, as they will be pursuing long-term big-money contracts, but they will be looking for role players with size and two-way ability that can be signed for a lesser term and cap hit.
Austin Watson – Left/Right Wing (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Stats:4 points (2 G, 2 A) in 33 games
2023-24 Salary - $776,665
In another entry for possible options for the Sabres in a fourth-line crash-and-bang forward with size, who can stir the pot and provide some sandpaper, Watson could be an economical short-term option for Buffalo with his experience in the Atlantic Division over the last four seasons.
Watson was a 2010 first-round pick of the Nashville Predators, who spent five years in the OHL and AHL before making the NHL full-time in 2015. In his second pro season, the Michigan native made the Stanley Cup Final with the Predators, and the following year, he set a career-high with 14 goals.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7EMGIQSqDo[/embed]
In 2020, before the start of a three-year, $4.5 million extension, Watson was dealt to Ottawa and spent three seasons with the Senators, in mostly a fourth-line energy role, but did see time as a penalty killer and was adept at blocking shots.
After winning a job as a training camp invite, the 32-year-old signed a league-minimum one-year contract with Tampa Bay in a similar role, compiling 93 penalty minutes in 33 games.
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