Sabres As Deadline Sellers May Not Reap Big Rewards

Buffalo has six unrestricted free agents that could be on the move before the March 8th trade deadline

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The Buffalo Sabres trail the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference by nine points at the All-Star break, and with the NHL Trade Deadline just over a month away, GM Kevyn Adams may be fielding offers from his NHL counterparts for one or more of his six unrestricted free agents.

There has been some speculation that leading scorer Casey Mittelstadt has drawn some interest because of his $2.5 million cap hit and status as a retainable restricted free agent after the season, but that might be a move Adams can hold off on until the summer.

Here are the unrestricted free agents and the chances of them being dealt before March 8:

Victor Olofsson

Salary: $4.75 million, Stats: GP-33, G-4, A-8, Pts-12

The Sabres held off on dealing the 28-year-old winger after Jack Quinn’s injury last summer when there may have been interest from teams that needed a scorer. Now the three-time 20-goal scorer’s value is diminished with just four goals this season. His sizable salary is a big impediment, which would necessitate the Sabres retaining 50% of it.

Depth Forward Trio

Kyle Okposo

Salary: $2.5 million, Stats: GP-46, G-9, A-7, Pts-16

Zemgus Girgensons

Salary: $2.5 million, Stats: GP-31, G-4, A-0, Pts-4

Eric Robinson

Salary: $1.6 million, Stats: GP-16, G-1, A-5, Pts-6

Okposo played his 1,000^th game this season and is the Sabres captain, so it is likely he will only get dealt if he wants to finish off his career with a chance to win a Cup. Same with Girgensons, who has played all 10 seasons with Buffalo. Both would require Buffalo to retain a big chunk of their salary. Robinson was acquired in a trade with Columbus and is a big, fast, and defensively adept winger, which could be of interest to a contender looking for bottom-six depth. The return for all three would be a mid-round pick at best.

Eric Comrie

Salary: $1.8 million, Stats: Record 1-5-0. GAA 4.01, save % .863

Comrie was ill-served by the three-goalie situation early in the season and cleared waivers to go to AHL Rochester earlier this month, where he performed well. His availability would be linked to the plan the Sabres have for Devon Levi. If they choose to keep him in the AHL for the rest of the season, then Comrie would likely stay as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s backup.

Erik Johnson

Salary: $3.25 million, Stats: GP-41, G-3, A-0, Pts-3

The 35-year-old Cup winner is what a lot of contending teams are looking for at the deadline. Experience, right-hand shot, leadership, size and character. Retaining salary would be required, but the Sabres could get as much as a third-round pick for Johnson.