3 Buffalo Sabres Who Won't Be Back Next Season: Post Trade Deadline Fallout

The Buffalo Sabres are once again at the bottom of the standings and have to create some sort of lineup that will help pull the team into the playoffs after so many years. Instead of trading away a ton of assets, the Sabres instead committed to some of their players and are looking up next season.

Jack Quinn

There are a lot of forwards, especially young ones that are competing for spots in the lineup. Jack Quinn's name was out there in rumors before the trade deadline and although he wasn't moved, that doesn't mean something isn't coming. Quinn is having the worst of his three seasons in the NHL. While he is a former eighth overall pick, he is the worst minus on the team by a fair bit, isn't on either of the power-play units, and holds value to fetch the Sabres something bigger. There are a few younger forwards who look to be better than Quinn on the team right now.

Jacob Bryson

The Sabres have a very young defense core and need a veteran. The most obvious player to swap out is Jacob Bryson who is 27 years old, has less than 250 games of NHL experience, has only played in 38 games this season, and is a UFA after the season. Everyone else is either signed or is a RFA, so there is a good chance Bryson moves on as Buffalo looks for a veteran who can contribute more night in and night out.

James Reimer

After two seasons of Devon Levi jumping back and forth between the NHL and AHL, next season he has to stick and be a tandem with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Not only will this relieve pressure from Luukkonen, but the Sabres are at the point where Levi has to take that step forward. This will push James Reimer out. He has been a serviceable placeholder for the Sabres, holding a 2-5-2 record with a .903 SV%. It is better than some, but he has only started eight games and is a third goalie at best at this point in his career. The Sabres will move off of the 36-year-old pending UFA this summer.