LAS VEGAS — Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams started his offseason business on Thursday afternoon, trading the No. 11 pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft for the San Jose Sharks’ picks at No. 14 and No. 42.
While it wasn’t the splashy trade fans have been hoping to see with the No. 11 pick, Adams was clear that the Sabres are still “actively shopping” in the trade market. He doesn’t feel as though any trades that might have included the No. 11 pick are off the table just because the Sabres’ first-rounder is now pick No. 14.
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“It doesn’t mean we’re done here,” Adams said while standing in a meeting room at the Wynn resort in Vegas. “We’re going to actively look. This pick’s available if it makes sense for us.”
From a draft value perspective, the Sabres did well in this trade. After the first six or seven picks, Adams feels as if there is a wide range of where certain players could go. The Sabres feel as if they have a chance to get a player of similar or equal value at No. 14, if they decide to make the pick. Getting an additional second-round pick to move back three slots is worthwhile.
Adams and the Sabres are again flush with draft capital. They have nine picks in this draft, including three in the top 43 picks. That should be enough for Adams to make another deal for a proven NHL player. The Sabres have made 30 draft picks over the last three seasons, so adding another nine players to the prospect pool probably isn’t necessary.
Here are some other Sabres-related news and notes from Vegas.
1. The NHL’s buyout window opened on Thursday, and the Sabres have not yet used their buyout on Jeff Skinner. Skinner has three years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $9 million per season. The Sabres could save approximately $7.5 million on the cap this season by buying him out, but they would also have him on their salary cap for six seasons. His cap hit in the final three seasons would be just more than $2.4 million.
Buffalo’s preferred option would be to trade Skinner and retain some salary. But Skinner has a full no-movement clause, and Adams said on Thursday that Skinner and his agency haven’t shown a willingness to waive it.
“No,” Adams said. “There’s been honest communication, but no indication that that’s something they’re willing to look at. But all you can do is just have honest conversations and explain certain situations that could be out there, and we’ve done that. But yeah, I wouldn’t say there’s been any sort of traction or movement.”
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That means the Sabres have until Sunday to decide what to do with Skinner. The only way they could get a second window of opportunity to buy out Skinner is if one of their restricted free agents goes to arbitration.
Part of the decision on Skinner will depend on what else Adams is able to accomplish over the next couple of days. He’s been trying to acquire another top-six forward, and that would make Skinner expendable.
“Jeff’s been an elite scorer in this league for a long time, but if (he’s) not playing a top-line, top-minute type role, where do you slot a player like that?” Adams said.
That sounds similar to the sentiments that Don Waddell and Rod Brind’Amour had about Skinner on his way out of Carolina. If he’s not a top-line scorer, where does Skinner fit? He had zero goals and one assist in his final 13 games last season and he wasn’t useful once he was demoted to the third line.
2. This week, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Sabres have interest in Hurricanes forward Martin Necas. Adams all but confirmed that while expressing some frustration that the news had leaked.
“I’d prefer it not to be all over the media,” Adams said. “Start with that.”
Adams noted that, in a vacuum, he’d prefer to trade for a player who has some team control, whether that’s a player with term on his contract or a restricted free agent. Those aren’t easy players to acquire, but Necas is a restricted free agent. Any deal the Sabres made would have to account for the contract Necas is going to demand.
Necas would be an interesting fit. His speed would be a nice addition to one of Buffalo’s top two lines, but Necas hasn’t been the strongest defensive presence during his career, and his playoff production has been lacking. But he’s a solid net-front player and had 71 points in 2022-23. With a bigger role, the Sabres might be able to get more out of him offensively as he enters his prime at 25 years old. Carolina’s asking price for Necas reportedly has been high. We’ll see if Adams is willing to meet it or if he looks elsewhere for his big offseason swing.
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3. During his pre-draft availability last week, and again on Thursday, Adams expressed confidence in Peyton Krebs. Asked about the center market in free agency, Adams said “there aren’t a lot of centers out there” and “they’re harder to acquire.” In the same answer, Adams said he’s excited about Krebs and where the Sabres believe he can get to in his game. Krebs is a restricted free agent this summer and got a brief audition as Buffalo’s third center last season. He finished the season with only four goals, so Adams would be taking a risk by banking on him to fill a third-line role.
4. If the Sabres end up using their first-round pick, they could end up picking from a different pool of players than they would have at No. 11. Tij Iginla wasn’t likely going to be available at No. 11, but he’s even less likely to be there at No. 14. The same could be said for defensem*n Sam Dickinson and Carter Yakemchuk. Could Finnish center Konsta Helenius fall that far? That doesn’t seem likely, either. And Sabres assistant general manager Jerry Forton said last week that he likes to minimize risk in the first round, so winger Cole Eiserman may not fit.
Another name to watch in this range is Norwegian winger Michael-Brandsegg-Nygard. He’s No. 14 on Scott Wheeler’s final ranking. If the Sabres are looking for a player with a different skill set than some of their smaller forwards, Nygard would fit that profile. He’s 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds, a strong forechecker and has the competitiveness and physicality that should help him find a consistent role in the NHL. Adams has said he wants the Sabres to be harder to play against. That should filter into the draft process, too, and Nygard has shown that he’s a pain to play against.
5. LeBrun also noted this week that there is a “strong possibility” that Patrick Kane goes to market but that the Detroit Red Wings are still trying to re-sign him. LeBrun reported that Kane prefers to go to an Eastern Conference contender. The Sabres might not fit that description, but they did pursue him in the fall and still have a need for power-play help. They have the money to outbid teams and could even sweeten the deal by giving Kane term. It’s certainly less risky now, after seeing the way he performed coming off hip surgery.
(Photo of Jeff Skinner: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Matthew Fairburn is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Buffalo Sabres. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he previously covered the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills for The Athletic. Prior to The Athletic, he also covered the Bills for Syracuse.com. Follow Matthew on Twitter @MatthewFairburn
