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, but 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 earlier this month with defenseman Bowen Byram, Adams will have to try to acquire a scoring forward with younger players, prospects, and/or draft picks. 

Colorado forward Martin Necas is someone the Sabres were rumored to have interest in last summer, before he signed a two-year bridge deal with Carolina before he was traded mid-season to the Avalanche in the Mikko Rantanen deal. The 26-year-old ended up fitting in nicely in place of Rantanen, and ended last season with a career-high 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists). 

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Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Bryan Rust

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

The issue for both the Avs and a team potentially trading for Necas is his willingness to sign a contract extension a year out from unrestricted free agency. For Colorado, it looks to be playing out like Rantanen 2.0, since they have to reserve room to extend Cale Makar next summer, and likely would not be able to afford to re-sign Necas and the reigning Norris Trophy winner. The other dilemma for the Avs is trading a key cog in their Stanley Cup aspirations for the usual return of a rental. 

For Buffalo, would they be willing to trade significant assets for Necas if there was no guarantee that he would re-sign there? 

What Would It Cost?

GM Kevyn Adams would only trade for Necas as a pure rental if the Sabres were in the race for a playoff spot and had a good chance to snap their 14-year drought. The cost at that point would be a first-round pick (top-10 protected), a prospect with promise like Noah Ostlund or Devon Levi, and another piece (an additional draft pick, a secondary prospect, or NHL depth forward). 

If the Sabres had confidence that they could extend Necas or if they could sign him outright, than the prospect would have to be converted into a young NHL forward with promise (Zach Benson or Jiri Kulich) along with the first and another piece. 

 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the best deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games. 

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Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Bryan Rust

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

#34 - Riley Fiddler-Schultz - Forward (Rochester - AHL) 

 With Buffalo stacked with their own drafted prospects, the chances of an undrafted free agent making it to the NHL are slim, but the Sabres gave forward Riley Fiddler-Schultz a chance and thus far, he is taking advantage of it.

The 23-year-old has NHL bloodlines (his uncle Vern Fiddler played 877 games with Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas, and New Jersey), and Riley grew into a leadership role in junior with the WHL’s Calgary Hitman, becoming team captain in 2022 and leading the club with 75 points (31 goals, 44 assists).

The Sabres signed Fiddler-Schultz to a two-year AHL deal in 2023, and in his first professional season, he finished second in goals (23) for the ECHL’s Jacksonville Iceman and played six games for the Rochester Americans. Last season, he played exclusively for the Amerks and posted 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 51 games, which earned him a two-year, entry-level contract.

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

Is it October yet? 

Unfortunately, no, but we're here to help pass the time. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 1, The Hockey News Nashville Predators will be counting down 24 players in 24 days, profiling every current or potentially rostered player. 

Today's player profile is defenseman Jordan Oesterle. 

As an NHL prospect 

Oesterle played his first year of juniors with the Sioux Falls Stampede during the 2010-11 season, scoring 15 points in 54 games. Going underrated, Oesterle committed to Western Michigan University and played there for three seasons. 

He attracted the attention of NHL teams following his junior season after 17 points in 34 games. Oesterle would then sign a two-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers, splitting time between Edmonton and Oklahoma City. 

Professional career 

Over three seasons in the Oilers organization, Oesterle played just 25 games with the Oilers before he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks to start the 2017-18 season. He'd eventually find a rhythm on Chicago's third pairing, scoring 15 points in 55 games 

In the 2018 offseason, Oesterle was traded to the Arizona Coyotes, where he had the most successful stretch of his career. He played 172 games over a three-season stretch, scoring 44 points. 

He'd then sign with the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 offseason, scoring 19 points in 97 games. 

Oesterle then made the move to Calgary, signing a one-year deal with the Flames and splitting time between the NHL and AHL for the first time since the 2016-17 season. He played 30 games with the Wranglers, scoring 19 points, and 22 games with the Flames, scoring two points.

Oesterle moved again, signing with the Boston Bruins on a two-year contract. He'd split time between Boston and Providence during the 2024-25 season, scoring six points in 22 games in Boston.

He was eventually waived by the Bruins and claimed by the Predators in March. Oesterle played 15 games in Nashville last season, scoring four points. 

Nashville took on a $775,000 hit in picking Oesterle up off of waivers. 

What role will he play this season? 

The Predators were in need of a defenseman last season due to injuries, so it makes sense that they scooped up Oesterle. 

Considering he is a veteran and was able to score in his short time with the Predators last season, he could be a good piece for the third pairing. Having Nick Perbix and Nic Hague now in the rotation makes it hard for Oesterle to move up, so he'll have to prove it in camp. 

They are going to need a lot more out of him in order for him to stay in Nashville the full season. He hasn't scored more than 10 points since the 2020-21 season and hasn't played more than half a season since the 2022-23 season. 

Oesterle needs to find a little bit more consistency and figure out if he wants to take an active role in scoring or supplement other players. 

How much Oesterle has moved over his career his also a bit alarming. Either the teams don't want to resign him, or he doesn't want to stay. He's been traded once and waived once, so only two moves were out of his control. 

If he gets bumped down to Milwaukee, who's to say the Predators won't waive him or if he'll try to leave. His contract does expire at the end of this season. 

If the Philadelphia Flyers are hoping to get the absolute most out of important trade acquisition Trevor Zegras, they need to avoid the mistake the Anaheim Ducks made in each of the last two years before dealing him away.

Publicly, the Flyers haven't committed to Zegras, 24, playing center for them full-time in the 2025-26 season.

But, the former top Ducks draft pick played left wing in each of the last two seasons, scoring just 18 goals, 29 assists, and 47 points in 88 regular season games.

Prior to that, Zegras had reached no fewer than 23 goals and 61 points in his only two full NHL seasons.

This offseason, much of the online discourse has centered around if Zegras plays center, and what happens if he doesn't play center.

Maybe I missed something somewhere along the line here, but there is simply no reason to take Zegras off the center position. How much of a coincidence can it be that a former No. 11 pick enjoyed the two most prolific seasons of his career playing his preferred position?

Faceoffs are a concern, yes; Zegras has cracked a 40% success rate on his draws just once in four seasons as a full-time NHL player.

But, that wasn't enough to hold back Jack Hughes, one of his buddies from the USNTDP, at this level.

In fact, the New Jersey Devils, particularly under the now-departed Lindy Ruff, solved this issue by pairing Hughes with Erik Haula, a defensively-inclined forward who excelled in the faceoff circle and otherwise played on the left wing.

The Flyers can do something similar with free agent signing Christian Dvorak, for example. But it shouldn't be the other way around, where Zegras plays the left wing for someone else.

Between Zegras, Jett Luchanko, and Jack Nesbitt, the Flyers should come away with at least two long-term, top-nine centers to build a contender with.

And, as long as the Flyers don't find themselves overachieving this season, they are still perfectly capable of landing that high-end piece to put the icing on the cake in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Plus, who knows how good Zegras can really be? He approached 70 points on a bad Ducks team in his age-21 season.

The Flyers, somewhat similarly to the Ducks, are finally aspiring to come up from the water and be a decent team.

That opportunity has to be exciting for a guy who got ran out of Anaheim, even after playing out of position for his teammates to try and win games.

Jakub Vrana's short stint with the Nashville Predators has officially come to an end. 

The forward signed with Linköping HC in the Swedish Hockey League on Friday. He played 13 games with the Predators last season, scoring three points and logging four penalty minutes.

Vrana returned to the Washington Capitals during the 2024-25 season, signing a one-year contract after a professional tryout agreement. 

After scoring 11 points in 26 games, Vrana was placed on waivers by the Capitals and was eventually claimed by the Predators. The Predators took on a $775,000 contract when claiming Vrana.

The Predators chose to not to sign Vrana at the end of the regular season. 

It's a true fall from grace for Vrana, as just five years ago, he had 52 points in 69 games and was two years off winning the 2018 Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals. He had a strong five-year stint in Washington before he traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 2021. 

Vrana has played with Linköping HC before. He played four seasons within the organization at various levels from 2011 to 2015 and at one point was the youngest foreign player in the history of the league. In 2014, Vrana was drafted by the Capitals 13th overall out of Linköping HC. 

A significant amount of success occurred during the era led by Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith in the 2010s. That doesn't mean that the Chicago Blackhawks didn't have legends put on their sweater before that. 

One of those legends is Denis Savard, who spent parts of his Hall of Fame career with the Blackhawks, spanning 13 years out of 17. 

Savard's best year came in 1987-88, where he set career highs in goals (44), assists (87), and points (131). Those 131 points were also the most that any Blackhawks player has ever had in a single season, a record that stands to this day. 

NHL (@NHL) on XSome of these point totals are so ridiculous... 🤯

The NHL put out a list of each team's single-season points leader in franchise history, and Savard's name is on the list for Chicago. Plenty of legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Mike Bossy are on the list. Some newer players who are on their way to significant careers, like Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, and Clayton Keller, also find themselves on the list. 

Former Blackhawks superstars Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin are there too, as they hold franchise records for other franchises. Hossa is the leader for the Winnipeg Jets franchise from when they were the Atlanta Thrashers (100 points in 2006-07), while Panarin is on there with the Columbus Blue Jackets (87 points in 2018-19). 

Savard's record in Chicago broke the mark previously set by himself in 1982-83. He has the four highest single-season totals in franchise history, all alone. Kane is 5th from his 110-point campaign in 2018-19. 

Although the Blackhawks have lots of young stars on the rise, it is hard to see any of them ever coming close to Savard's single-season record. Only a few players have reached that mark on other teams in recent memory. It's not easy in today's NHL. 

Savard, in addition to some of these single-season marks, has a very decorated career. He was a Stanley Cup champion, an All-Star, and was named as one of the NHL's 100 Greatest Players during the centennial season of the league. It's an understatement to call him a legend of the game. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

The Chicago Blackhawks moved on from multiple players this off-season. One of them was forward Andreas Athanasiou, as he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1 after the Blackhawks did not re-sign him. Now, with the halfway point of August almost here, the 31-year-old is still looking for his new home.

Seeing Athanasiou still being a UFA at this juncture of the summer is understandable, as he had a tough 2024-25 season. He most notably was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks back in November and spent the bulk of the season at the AHL level with the Rockford IceHogs after not being claimed by another NHL team. 

Athanasiou appeared in just eight games for the Blackhawks in 2024-25, where he had one goal, six hits, and a minus-1 rating. Overall, he struggled to produce offense when with the NHL club this past season. Down in the AHL with the IceHogs this past campaign, he had 11 goals, 16 assists, and 27 points in 30 games. 

While Athanasiou struggled at the NHL level during the 2024-25 season, the possibility of him receiving a professional tryout (PTO) from a team before the pre-season is here would not be too surprising. Keep in mind, this is a player who posted 20 goals and 40 points in 81 games just back in 2022-23 with the Blackhawks.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what happens with the former Blackhawk from here.

Blackhawks Intriguing Prospect Can't Be IgnoredThe Chicago Blackhawks have several exciting prospects who will be looking to cement themselves spots on their NHL roster next season. One interesting prospect who fans should not ignore heading into the 2025-26 season is forward Ryan Greene.

A decision has yet to be made regarding Matthew Tkachuk and potential offseason surgery.

Tkachuk recently spoke to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski about several topics ahead of the NHL 26 cover reveal, and during the chat, the issue of going under the knife sometime this summer found its way into the conversation.

After the postseason, when Tkachuk revealed that he’d been playing through a torn hip abductor and a hernia, he said that he was 50-50 on whether or not to have surgery.

Since then, Tkachuk has had his day with the Stanley Cup, gotten married and enjoyed some traveling.

Surgery?

Tkachuk told Wyshynski that the decision on having any procedure had yet to be made.

He also added that if he does have surgery, he would expect to miss 2-3 months of the regular season.

Recently, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Tkachuk was expected to miss the start of the season and return in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, which would sync up with Tkachuk’s timeline if he were to have the surgery.

If there is one thing we know about the Panthers, it’s that they are fine utilizing time during the regular season for players to get as healthy as possible for the games that really count: the playoffs.

Florida famously rested many of their key players down the stretch last season, despite the team seemingly fighting for positioning at the top of the Atlantic Division.

Did it matter that the Panthers fell to third and lost any home ice advantage they would’ve had during a potential Stanley Cup run? Nope.

Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice and General Manager Bill Zito agree that it’s better to have a healthier team playing on the road than a banged-up team on home ice.

The numbers back that up, as under Maurice, Florida has gone 8-1 in playoff series that they start on the road.

We’ll see how things play out with Tkachuk in the coming weeks, as a decision on surgery is likely to come sometime in the foreseeable future.

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Photo caption: Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates scoring during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)