The NHL's off-season is more or less at hand, and teams are beginning to make significant trades. And in this new series on THN.com's Buffalo Sabres site, we're looking at potential trade partners for the Sabres.
We began the series by looking at the Utah Mammoth; more recently, we examined the Colorado Avalanche; and in today's column, we're focusing our attention on the Vancouver Canucks. Let's get right to it.
TEAM: Vancouver Canucks
CAP SPACE: $12.1 million
FREE AGENTS: Brock Boeser, RW; Pius Suter, C; Noah Juulsen, D
NEEDS: High-end wing depth; offensive help in general; lower-pair 'D' depth; overall change in chemistry
SABRES FIT? The Canucks were a colossal disappointment this season, finishing six standings points out of a playoff spot and in fifth place in the weak Pacific Division. Naturally, Canucks fans were livid, not only from the on-ice results, but in regard to the neverending off-ice drama that included a civil war between star center Elias Pettersson and now-former star center J.T. Miller, as well as the departure of coach Rick Tocchet, and now the almost-certain departure of star winger Boeser.
Thus, many Canucks observers are watching the organization in expectation of Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin making many moves of consequence. But with a relatively-small amount of cap space, and numerous holes to fill, the Canucks aren't likely to be big-time players on the free-agent front. Instead, they're expecting changes to come via trades. And there will be no shortage of speculation that numerous trades are on the way for Vancouver.
In many regards, the Sabres would be heavily-interested in Pettersson, but his contract -- which pays him $11.6-million per season -- now has a full no-move clause. As hockey fans should know by now, a no-trade or no-move clause isn't an iron-clad guarantee a player won't be move, because in the right circumstance, a player may decide they want to move on. And maybe -- just maybe -- Pettersson has arrived at that point in Vancouver at 26 years old.
Sabres Potential Trade Partner: Colorado AvalancheThe Buffalo Sabres are entering the 2025 off-season as one of the key NHL teams to watch. As they try to re-jig the roster with the goal of ending their 14-year streak with no playoff appearances, the Sabres are highly-motivated to make a splash. But what are they likely to do on the trade front -- and what teams are out there that could be a trade partner? That's the focus of this new series on THN.com's Sabres site.
The bigger problem, of course, is convincing Pettersson that Buffalo should be a desirable location for him. And while the Sabres have some Swedish players who may be able to sell Pettersson on life in Western New York, the odds are there are other situations out there that are much more palatable for Pettersson. So this type of move would be a longshot indeed from the Sabres' point of view.
However, that doesn't mean there aren't players who may intrigue Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams. And the most notable one could be right winger Connor Garland. The 29-year-old has produced a combined total of 75 goals in the past four seasons, and while the 5-foot-9 winger is small in stature, he's crafty and capable of adding quality depth to the Sabres' wing position. And his $4.95-million salary -- which expires at the end of next season -- means he'll be entering a contract year, and consequently could be highly-motivated to have an excellent 2025-26 campaign.
Now, Vancouver is looking for help on the wing, so any deal that would move Garland almost certainly would need to include another winger coming the Canucks' way. Buffalo probably can't address that, but would the Sabres be amenable to sending RFA defenseman Bowen Byram to Vancouver in a deal for Garland? Byram is a British Columbia native and someone who would make the Canucks' defense corps one of the deeper units in the league, and Byram's 2024-25 salary of $3.85-million makes him a solid match with Garland's current salary.
Sabres Potential Trade Partner: Utah MammothThis is the first file in what will be an ongoing series on THN.com's Buffalo Sabres site. In these files, we're going to identify a number of teams the Sabres could be making a trade with this summer, and we'll be picking out specific players who could be trade targets for Buffalo.
The stumbling block here is Vancouver's lack of depth on the wing. With Boeser more or less out the door, moving Garland will make an already weak group of wingers even weaker. But the Canucks can make other moves in trades and free-agency to address that need. And adding a hometown player in Byram would go over extremely well with Vancouver fans.
Ultimately, the Canucks want a different mix of players than the one that was too passive and too limp offensively this season. The challenge for Adams is to find a connection to Vancouver that results in Buffalo adding a proven veteran that can help them make the playoffs next season. Acquiring Pettersson may well be a pipe dream, but Garland doesn't have any no-trade or no-move protection, and Garland -- a Massachusetts native -- may find it a very good thing to play on the East Coast, much closer to home.
As a year-long rental, Garland would be a gamble of sorts for the Sabres. But he could replace some of the offense Buffalo would lose if they move winger J.J. Peterka, and if things don't work out with Garland, the Sabres can part ways with him with no cap commitment after 2025-26.
If Sabres Part Ways With Blueliner Byram, These Three Veteran Defenseman Should Be Options To Replace HimThe Buffalo Sabres could be approaching a crossroads when it comes to the future of star defenseman Bowen Byram. We've argued on THN.com that the Sabres should hang onto Byram, but for argument's sake, let's say Buffalo and Byram part ways. If that happens, there are numerous veterans the Sabres could bring in to shore up their defense corps.
In any case, Vancouver is highly likely to make notable moves this summer. The Sabres are in the same boat, and if Adams can figure out how to please his counterpart in B.C., there could be a trade match here.