Buffalo Sabres: Potential moves to resolve Jack Eichel’s unhappiness

The Buffalo Sabres need to stop wasting Jack Eichel’s prime.

Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel has played 354 games in his NHL career, all in the regular season. While he has experienced great personal success over that span (337 points), his team has continued the league’s longest postseason drought.

Nine years with no postseason is bad enough, but when that streak is extended in a year where 24 of the NHL’s 31 teams will participate in some type of playoff series (although the qualifying round technically is not part of the playoffs), it stings even more.

The Sabres have shown signs of life in recent years and now must find a way to build around its young superstar. Fortunately for Buffalo, step one, locking up Eichel, is already complete, as he has six more years on his current contract.

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With that, the first thing the Sabres need to do this offseason is clear cap space. It is unclear what the salary cap ceiling will be next season, but all teams will certainly need to shed some salary.

For Buffalo, this means it is time to move on from several players whose contracts do not match their production. With 12 roster players due for new contracts, according to Cap Friendly, the Sabres have plenty of flexibility to give its underachieving team a new look as it attempts to save money.

At forward, only four players are actually under contract for next season. The Sabres should take advantage of this by revamping the group, beginning by allowing Wayne Simmonds and Michael Frolik to leave this offseason, clearing $6.8 million in cap space just from those two veterans.

Buffalo may also look to not re-sign Zemgus Girgensons, who has spent his entire seven year career with the Sabres, and Curtis Lazar, due to the need for an upgrade.

Important players to resign include Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson, and Dominik Kahun, making the status of guys like Jimmy Vesey and Johan Larsson dependent upon the asking price.

To continue its efforts to shake up the forwards and save some money, the Sabres should move on from Kyle Okposo. This past season, Okposo made $6 million to put up 19 points and earn less than 13 minutes of ice time per game.

Unfortunately, a buyout may be the only choice, as a 32-year-old with a no trade clause and due $6 million for the next four years will most likely not be easy to trade.

The defense is more reasonable, as only Brandon Montour and Lawrence Pilut are set to become free agents. Montour could be resigned, but Pilut’s roster spot could be used to sign a free agent.

Finally, the goaltending situation is interesting, because Carter Hutton, who struggled last season, is under contract, while Linus Ullmark, who outperformed Hutton, is not. The best move may be to bring back Ullmark, trade Hutton, and look for a new starter.

This bring us to the next step, which is upgrading via free agency. The priority for Buffalo needs to be finding players that are definite upgrades. To truly build a playoff team around Eichel, it is important that the Sabres add players that are proven.

A new starting goalie should be a focus in Buffalo, since there are several capable options available. Braden Holtby, Jacob Markstrom, Robin Lehner, and Thomas Greiss are among the many players that could fit as the new starter in Buffalo.

At forward, a top six player is necessary, but the Sabres would be wise to target players that are not on everyone’s radar. This could mean passing up a chance at Taylor Hall to pursue someone cheaper or less sought after.

If this team could pull off a signing like Tyler Toffoli or Evgenii Dadonov, the forward group and the power play would be much better off.

Finally, on defense, Buffalo does not need to break the bank for a player like Alex Pietrangelo. Instead, it should target a depth defenseman like Chris Tanev or Brenden Dillon. The Sabres have young stars already on the blue line, but adding an established veteran could be a nice addition on the ice and in the locker room.

At the end of the day, this is not a team that will contend for the Stanley Cup next season. The Sabres need to take steps forward, though, and this offseason offers a great opportunity to do so. With the ability to refresh the roster through expiring contracts and depth in the free agency, the 2020 offseason could really make or break the Buffalo Sabres.