Tanner Pearson (left); Bowen Byram (right) -- ( Timothy T. Ludwig, USA TODAY Sports)

The Buffalo Sabres aren't a big-market team, but a look at the projected amount of salary cap space next season -- via the indispensable Puck Pedia -- has the Sabres smack-dab in the middle of the league's teams, with approximately $21.43-million in cap space for the 2025-26 campaign. And if you break down Buffalo's players who are going to be in need of new contracts, you'll see that the Sabres will be spending much, if not all of their cap space to stay competitive.

For one thing, the Sabres have seven restricted free agents, including defensemen Bowen Byram and Jacob Bernard-Docker, goalie Devon Levi, and forwards Ryan McLeod, Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka. Byram -- who made $3.85-million this past season -- and Peterka ($855,834) are going to get considerable raises, even with them both being under team control. As well, Levi and Quinn are long-term pieces of the puzzle in Buffalo, so Sabres GM Kevyn Adams will have to make them happy, perhaps with bridge contracts that keep their raises at a reasonable level.

Still, when you factor in all the variables here, you see that Buffalo's cap space is gong to dry up in a hurry. And although cap flexibility is a good thing, locking up your core talents is also a good thing. And the alternative -- trading away up-and-coming players just to keep your spending at an internally-decided-on level -- would incense Sabres fans who want Buffalo to spend to its limit.

"The Big Show"

The other factor here, of course, is trades. Buffalo may choose to acquire talent via trades, and that will almost assuredly lead to the Sabres' cap space disapperaing rapidly. Buffalo may decide that they need experienced hands to get them into the playoffs next year, and that type of help won't come cheaply. Thus, Adams will have a balancing act to perform, keeping his core of young talent intact while also bringing in new faces to alter his team's chemistry.

All things considered, then, we're almost assuredly going to see Buffalo spend at or near the salary cap ceiling next season. We'll get an immediate sense of their spending intentions at the start of July, when unrestricted free agency begins. But trades will also take place relatively soon, and Adams will have to strike early to prevent other teams from swooping in and acquiring talent the Sabres have targeted.

Lamoriello's Cold-Blooded Legacy A Good Lesson For Rebuilding Sabres The New York Islanders <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/new-york-islanders-part-with-gm-lou-lamoriello">parted ways with GM and team president Lou Lamoriello</a> Tuesday, perhaps putting an end to the 82-year-old icon's Hockey Hall-of-Fame career running NHL teams. But there's always something to learn from brilliant people, even when they're removed from power -- and Lamoriello's legacy could and should be a vital lesson for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.

When you think of more than $21 million, you rightfully think that's a lot of money, and it certainly is. However, at a time when the salary cap ceiling is rising exponentially -- and remember, the cap ceiling is going to rise even further, to $104-million, in 2026-27 -- player salaries are going to expand to fill that space.

So while it's on Sabres brass to spend wisely, they're almost certainly going to have to loosen the purse strings and spend to the cap limit each and every season. The cost of doing business in the NHL is going to continue to rise, and that has to be reflected in Buffalo's spending habits.

Sabres' Salary Cap Space Likely To Be Spent Quickly This Summer