The Buffalo Sabres' Most Valuable Trade Pieces

It's another season of selling in Buffalo, but at least this time around it was expected. The Sabres went into this year fully intending to look for another top-end draft pick From their former captain's request for a trade to the team's departure from players like Sam Reinhart, Linus Ullmark, and Rasmus Ristolainen, selling at the deadline was inevitable. Speaking of, while it took longer than anticipated, the trade of Jack Eichel did finally take place, which means arguably Buffalo's most valuable trade piece has already been taken off the board. With that said, they have plenty of upcoming UFAs that other teams will see potential in. Here are the Sabres' most valuable trade pieces for turning into assets in their ongoing rebuild.

Colin Miller

The former LA Kings draft pick has been a relatively positive acquisition for the Sabres since they acquired him in a trade with Vegas back in 2019. Right-shot defenders will always carry value in this league, and while Miller may be playing above his level in Buffalo, as a bottom 4 defender he could be a solid addition to a contender. He makes $3.875 million until next summer, and won't command a massive return from the teams interested in his services.

Cody Eakin

Another former Vegas Golden Knight, Eakin has already improved upon his totals from his last season with Buffalo, scoring 3 goals and 8 points in 28 games, one point ahead of where he was after 46 games last season. He's not a game-breaker, but Eakin can play a middle-6 role reliably and brings a bit of physical bite to his game. He makes $2.250 million and is a UFA in July.

Victor Olofsson

Once a 7th-round pick by the Sabres in 2014, Olofsson had a breakout season in '19-'20, scoring 20 goals and 42 points in 54 games. He slowed down a bit last year, but part of that could be due to the team losing Jack Eichel to injury early in the year, significantly hindering Olofsson's line. This year he's sitting at 5 goals and 19 points in 25 games, and making $3.05 million. He's shown he can still produce even without a star centreman, and will be an RFA in the summer. He's arguably the most valuable piece Buffalo has to offer and would command at least a 1st-round pick and a prospect, if not more.

Mark Pysyk

A cost-controlled right-shot defender who's only 29-years old, Pysyk will generate interest from a lot of teams. He's not likely to play much higher than a 3rd-pairing role, but he can absolutely handle bottom-pair responsibilities. He makes $900k and will be a UFA in the summer. A low-cost, low-commitment player like this will absolutely get moved, and while he may not bring much in return, enough teams will be interested that a small bidding war may take place, with Buffalo being the primary benefactor when the dust settles.

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