The NHL's off-season has arrived, and we're turning our attention in this THN.com series to potential trade partners for the Sabres.
We began the series by looking at the Utah Mammoth, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia Flyers. And in our newest file, we're focused on the New York Rangers. Let's get right to it.
TEAM: New York Rangers
CAP SPACE: $13.9 million
FREE AGENTS: Nicolas Aube-Kubel, RW; Arthur Kaliyev, LW; Will Cuylle, LW (RFA); Adam Edstrom, LW; Calvin de Haan, D; K'Andre Miller, D (RFA); Zac Jones, D (RFA); Matthew Robertson, D (RFA)
NEEDS: Depth on defense; bottom-six forwards
SABRES FIT? The Rangers were a dysfunctional mess last season, falling out of the playoffs completely after being the best regular-season team in the league in 2023-24. Rangers GM Chris Drury somehow got a vote of confidence from team owner James Dolan, and the first move he made this off-season was to trade veteran winger Chris Drury. This tracks with last year's moves to get rid of veterans (including defensemen Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren) as well as youngsters Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil.
That said, the Rangers clearly aren't rebuilding -- at least, not yet -- as they acquired star center J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, and veteran D-man Will Borgen from the Seattle Kraken in trades last year. The Rangers have a decent amount of salary cap space, but much of it will have to go to D-man K'Andre Miller, an RFA who will have plenty of alternatives if someone tries to offer-sheet him and take him out of Manhattan.
So, could there be a match with the Sabres? Probably not, although we could see a scenario in which Buffalo trades defenseman Bowen Byram to the Blueshirts in return for the rights to K'Andre Miller. As an RFA, Miller has no no-trade or no-move protection, so he couldn't veto a move to the Sabres. And if Buffalo can get into the playoff picture next year, Miller may be persuaded to sign long-term with the Sabres.
Sabres Potential Trade Partner: Philadelphia FlyersThe Buffalo Sabres are likely to be active on the trade front this summer. And as part of an ongoing series on THN.com's Sabres site, we're examining potential trade partners for Buffalo.
Otherwise, there really isn't a match for what Buffalo has to offer. The Rangers have too many veterans who do have no-trade or no-move clauses, so that all but completely rules out the Sabres from landing a talent like center Mika Zibanejad or center Vincent Trochek, both of who would assuredly help the Sabres get into the post-season.
Still, landing K'Andre Miller should be very tempting for Buffalo. At 25 years old, Miller isn't yet in his prime, and he could be a terrific second-pair blueliner for the Sabres. His salary last season was $3.87-million, and his modest production of 20 assists and 27 points means his asking price on a new contract isn't going to hamper Buffalo's financial picture. Indeed, a slight raise for Miller close to or right at the $5-million range would be very affordable for the Sabres. And given that Drury has been unable to sign Miller at this point, you have to figure his days as a Ranger are over.
The other option that's more of a longshot is Rangers left winger Alexis Lafreniere, who is just about to start his first year of a contract extension paying him $7.45-million per season. Lafreniere had a disappointing season of 17 goals and 45 points last year -- a major drop from his 28-goal, 57-point season in 2023-24. And like K'Andre Miller, the 23-year-old Lafreniere also doesn't have any no-move or no-trade protection.
Sabres Potential Trade Partner: Vancouver CanucksThe 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.
Can the Sabres step up and offer, say, winger Alex Tuch for Lafreniere? It's true Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams would be giving up more offensive production in surrendering Tuch, but considering that Tuch will be a UFA at the end of next season, dealing him now for a cost-controlled asset like Lafreniere might be better financially for the Sabres in the long run.
Moreover, if Lafreniere bounces back with a better performance akin to the one he had two years ago, suddenly the loss of Tuch's offense wouldn't be so bad. Remember, Lafreniere was the first-overall pick in 2020 for good reason; he's still got all kinds of time to realize his potential, and he could be doing that with Buffalo.
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.
In sum, the Rangers and Sabres probably won't be hooking up on a major trade this summer. But Sabres fans can dream of situations in which Buffalo and the Blueshirts collaborate on a deal that shakes up the chemistry of both teams. And acquiring K'Andre Miller or Lafreniere certainly would change the mix in Western New York.