The Buffalo Sabres should be in the market for an impact top-six forward after dealing winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan, but the opening weeks of free agency did not provide GM Kevyn Adams with an opportunity to replace Peterka’s production, and with the two-year deal signed earlier this month with defenseman Bowen Byram, Adams will have to try to acquire a scoring forward with younger players, prospects, and/or draft picks. Yegor Chinakhov is someone who is obviously available after the Columbus winger went to social media to indicate that he wanted the Blue Jackets to trade him. The 24-year-old was a first-round pick (21st overall) in 2020 and has encountered injury issues throughout his four-year NHL career, but the 6’1”, 201 lb. forward showed some upside in 2023-24, scoring 16 goals in 53 games. Other Sabres Stories Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Bryan Rust [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/projecting-sabres-trade-cost---bryan-rust] Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/six-former-sabres-who-signed-elsewhere] Chinakhov is in the final year of a two-year, $4.2 million bridge deal with the Blue Jackets, is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in 2026 and two years away from unrestricted free agency, which would give a team trading for him the flexibility to qualify him and holding on to him for another year or not qualifying him next summer. With Sabres Senior Advisor Jarmo Kekalainen having intimate knowledge as the GM who drafted him, Buffalo would obviously have some insight into what his ceiling is and whether he could play higher in the lineup as a replacement for JJ Peterka. What Would It Cost? With the trade request out in the open, Columbus GM Don Waddell is not in a great bargaining position, in spite of his public pronouncements to the contrary. The Blue Jackets may want to get someone of a comparable age who is established in the NHL instead of a prospect or a draft pick, but if he is unable to extract that value for Chinakhov before the start of training camp, his presence could prove to be a distraction. The Sabres may be prepared to offer a prospect like Isak Rosen, who may have earned a legitimate shot at the NHL, but it is unlikely they would move someone off their roster for a risky proposition. Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo [https://twitter.com/MikeInBuffalo]
