Buffalo Sabres Free Agency Outlook, Potential Fits

Buffalo Sabres Free Agency Preview/Outlook, Salary Cap Situation, Restricted Free Agents, Team Needs, and Potential Fits

Buffalo Sabres will have money to spend in Free Agency, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the team will be overly active.

Once re-signing key free agents though, Buffalo might have enough cash to address the void left by Matt Moulson‘s diminished play.

GM Tim Murray and company are surely hoping that Moulson’s down year was a minor blip on the radar, but it’s a situation Buffalo must pay close attention to with impending NHL expansion seeming likely.

That $5 million dollar cap hit with a no-trade clause is a tough pill to swallow, especially when you consider a team must approach a player with a NTC/NMC to seek his approval to be included in the Expansion Draft.

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After bottoming out in 2014-15, the Buffalo Sabres bounced back nicely this season. They even faced adversity losing their starting netminder at the beginning of the year, and still managed to show improvement across the board.

Much of that was due to new arrivals and a very different looking roster.

As we know, Tim Murray acquired Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane from Winnipeg at the 2015 trade deadline. Kane didn’t make his Sabres debut until this season after opting for shoulder surgery around the time of the deal.

Murray also made numerous other transactions last offseason. He acquired Robin Lehner from the Ottawa Senators at the draft (along with David Legwand), traded for Avs star Ryan O’Reilly, and took Jack Eichel 2nd overall. Add Sam Reinhart, 2014 2nd overall pick to the mix, and the Buffalo Sabres looked very different in 2015-16.

While several of the bigger names deserve a lot of credit for steering the ship in the right direction, we’d like to point out a couple of unsung heroes.

Jan 12, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark (35) watches the puck in the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Buffalo Sabres beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

First, young Finnish netminder Linus Ullmark stepped up in Lehner’s absence and performed admirably. He may have actually played well enough to earn the backup role for 2016-17. Chad Johnson also played well, but it looks like he’ll become a FA on July 1.

Next, and arguably the MVP who gets little credit, Finnish defender Rasmus Ristolainen. His game keeps getting better and he’s shaping himself into a complete no.1 defenseman on the Sabres blueline.

Don’t be surprised if Buffalo is fighting for a playoff spot in 2016-17 – as long as Eichel and Reinhart avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. Also, expect Robin Lehner to have a bounce back season and establish himself as the starter.

Buffalo Sabres Free Agency Outlook/Preview

Salary Committed to 2016-17: $49,447,022
Number of Players Signed: 28

Notable Unrestricted Free Agents: David Legwand, Cole Schneider, Carlo Colaiacovo, Chad Johnson, Tim Schaller, Matt Donovan, Jerry D’Amigo, Chad Ruhwedel, Bobby Sanguinetti

Notable Restricted Free Agents: Marcus Foligno, Zemgus Girgensons, Nicolas Deslauriers, Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe, Jason Kasdorf, Casey Nelson, Nathan Lieuwen, Andrey Makarov

Once the Buffalo Sabres lock down Foligno, Girgensons, Deslauriers, Ristolainen, and McCabe (plus others), the team should have roughly $10-15 million dollars to spend in free agency – although we don’t expect them to spend to the ceiling.

Top priority is locking down those two RFA defenders in Ristolainen and McCabe.

Foligno and Girgensons join other names such as Johan Larsson for candidates to be traded. The Sabres have a few crowded positions (i.e. RW) and could look to make room for players like Hudson Fasching.

Buffalo Sabres Free Agency Team Needs

Top-Six LW, Left-Handed Depth Defensemen (5-6-7 quality)

Buffalo could get away without addressing the void left by Matt Moulson in hopes that he finds his game again. The Sabres could however sign a top-six left-winger.