The Buffalo Sabres should be in the market for an impact top-six forward after dealing winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan. The opening weeks of free agency did not provide GM Kevyn Adams with an opportunity to replace Peterka’s production, and with the two-year deal signed last month with defenseman Bowen Byram, Adams will have to try to acquire a scoring forward with younger players, prospects, and/or draft picks. With just over a month before training camp, the odds are that an addition like that will have to happen during the season. 

Alexis Lafreniere has been a name consistently floated in trade rumors over the last year, especially after signing a seven-year extension with the New York Rangers following a career-high 28-goal season and an excellent playoffs. The former #1 overall pick was rushed to the NHL at 19 years old, but has shown flashes of being a top-end, top-six winger, as he did in the spring of 2024, when he scored eight goals in 16 playoff games to help New York reach the Eastern Conference Final.  

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Rangers GM Chris Drury has dealt a number of mainstays in the last 12 months, including team captain Jacob Trouba, defensemen Ryan Lindgren, and K’Andre Miller, and former second overall pick Kaapo Kakko. New York is attempting to reset under new head coach Mike Sullivan, but if the struggles of last season continue, Drury may be shopping star winger Artemi Panarin if he cannot get the 33-year-old re-signed, and possibly moving Lafreniere if he does not perform up to expectations. 

What Would It Cost?

Lafreniere has a number of traits that the Sabres undoubtedly are looking for. His contract does not have any no-trade protection for the next two seasons, which has been a roadblock for Adams in the past in trades, and he is signed for the next seven seasons at a $7.45 million AAV, which, with the increasing cap, is not a crippling number. It is likely that the Rangers are looking for help on the blueline, with the recent departures of Trouba, Lindgren, and Miller, even though they brought in former Sabre Will Borgen and signed veteran Vladislav Gavrikov. 

Owen Power’s name might be floated, but it is hard to imagine that the Sabres would make that swap one-for-one, and perhaps would try to steer the Rangers towards a deal involving Bowen Byram instead. 

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