Buffalo Sabres Could Target Veteran Penguins Winger, per The Hockey News
Photo credit: Justin Guerriero-TribLIVE
The Buffalo Sabres have cap space, and they need to make a move soon to ensure they don't fall too far out of the playoff race. Bryan Rust is a target for them.
The Sabres are tantalizingly close to a playoff position in the competitive Atlantic, sitting fifth in the division at the U.S. Thanksgiving checkpoint of the NHL season, one point behind Tampa Bay and two behind Boston, with two games in hand on the Bruins.
The Sabres, after a bit of a rocky start, have really found their groove of late, posting a 7-3-0 record over their last 10 games.
With 60 games remaining, they control their own destiny. With $8.46 million in cap space, per 'PuckPedia', it's time for GM Kevyn Adams to be aggressive.
The team hasn't made the playoffs since 2011, and Adams is under increasing pressure to break that drought.
Buffalo is 15th in league scoring at 3.09 goals per game, making it an obvious buyer for a high-impact forward.
It made it known last summer the time to start competing was now by buying out Jeff Skinner. This team needs to do something with the amount of cap space they have. The Sabres have some options to consider.
Flyers centre Morgan Frost or Scott Laughton could add some depth and flexibility, while Penguins winger Bryan Rust brings in the veteran leadership with two Stanley Cup championships and proven scoring. It has been made known recently that Rust is very much available on the trade market.
Well, he's available. If you talk to people around the league, Kyle Dubas has made it known that pretty much everybody including Rust is available. You mentioned he has a no-movement clause - that expires July 1, 2025.
For teams that want to get an offensive guy, he's gonna be attractive piece. Now, I can tell you (the Penguins) have not had any discussions with Rust or his camp about the possibility of waving his no-movement clause. It's too early right now, that hasn't even crossed their minds.
- David Pagnotta
For teams that want to get an offensive guy, he's gonna be attractive piece. Now, I can tell you (the Penguins) have not had any discussions with Rust or his camp about the possibility of waving his no-movement clause. It's too early right now, that hasn't even crossed their minds.
- David Pagnotta
Or there's Chris Kreider from the Rangers who seems to be available, who has scored nine goals this season with three consecutive 35+ goal seasons.
Adding a veteran defender to shore up the blue line is on the table, too. Whatever it may be, Adams needs to do something to improve the roster.
They cannot afford to fall just short again, and missing the playoffs with three-quarters of the regular season remaining would be unacceptable.
It's time for Buffalo to adopt a buyer's mentality and seize this opportunity: for the Sabres, it's now or never to turn the potential into results and ultimately bury the playoff drought.
| POLL | ||
29 NOVEMBRE | 100 ANSWERS Buffalo Sabres Could Target Veteran Penguins Winger, per The Hockey News Will the Buffalo Sabres make the playoffs this season? | ||
| Yes | 32 | 32 % |
| No | 68 | 68 % |
| List of polls | ||
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