Sabres' Longest-Tenured Player Standing Out as Trade Candidate

With the Sabres likely to be sellers, their longest-tenured player could get dealt.

The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline is just over a month away. When it comes to the Buffalo Sabres, the expectation is that they will be sellers. Because of this, pending UFAs like Erik Johnson and Victor Olofsson have come up in the rumor mill. 

However, the Sabres have another pending UFA who may be a sneaky trade candidate over these next few weeks – Zemgus Girgensons.

Girgensons, 30, is in the final season of his contract, and the Sabres could listen to offers for him if they do not plan to bring him back next season. While he would not be a major addition to a playoff team, he could garner interest from clubs looking for more experience and grit on their fourth line.

The 2023-24 season has been a tough one for Girgensons. In 31 games, he has just four goals. While his offense is down, there could be some value there because of his defensive play and physicality, as his 54 hits this campaign show. He also had 10 goals and 18 points just last season, so he could bounce back as the campaign rolls on. 

If the Sabres are willing to retain half of Girgensons' salary, there could be a market for him as other bottom-six options start to fall off the board. 

However, seeing him on a new team would certainly be strange. He is the club's longest-tenured player and has spent his entire 656-game career as a Sabre. It will be intriguing to see if he gets moved before the deadline passes from here, but the potential is there because of his expiring contract. 

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