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Sabres look to be biggest sellers ahead of NHL trade deadline
Michael Martin/Getty Images

Sabres look to be biggest sellers ahead of NHL trade deadline

Sure, the NHL trade deadline is over a month away, but the frenzy over who will make the biggest splash has been in full swing for some time now. With the division standings so drastically staggered, it's pretty obvious who may be scooping up the biggest stars on the trade block and who will be selling off pieces in hopes of building for next season and beyond.

When it comes to the deadline, there may be no bigger seller than the Buffalo Sabres. This team has occupied the basement of its conference for multiple seasons now, missing the playoffs for seven straight seasons. The Sabres have young talent that hasn't found chemistry around it to produce on a regular basis, and the big names who have been added over the last few years haven't been the ticket to success.

So who could be on the move from this big seller?

For Buffalo, there are few players outside of All-Star and face of the franchise Jack Eichel who are safe from the trade block. The biggest name floating around is of course Evander Kane, who has become the most notable name in trade bait news across the entire league. The asking price for the 26-year-old winger will probably be quite high. TSN's Pierre LeBrun believes the Sabres could ask for a first-round pick — and then some — to move Kane. It's a hefty price to pay for a player who, while talented, has had his fair share of issues in his career, but there are teams out there that could very well give Buffalo exactly what it covets in return for a forward who has continued to mature in Buffalo. The fact Kane can add firepower to anyone's wing doesn't hurt either, particular given his output this season. Through 43 games played, he has 16 goals and 19 assists, trailing only the aforementioned Eichel in those categories on the team.

Since Kane is on the last year of a six-year, $31.5 million deal, a legit Stanley Cup contender could benefit from adding him for a small hit. His name has been linked to potential playoff teams in the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues, and other postseason contenders could look to add the talented power forward. Teams sitting out of the playoff picture, like the Vancouver Canucks and defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, have also been linked to Kane in trade talks — either in the hopes of signing him long term or providing a rental boost to make a second-half push.

Even with plenty of teams interested in Kane, he may not be switching team sweaters until closer to the deadline. The Sabres have other players to focus on moving as well. According to Craig Custance at The Athletic, teams have shown interest Benoit Pouliot and Johan Larsson — among others — as well. Pouliot in particular is one of the most likely selling points for the Sabres since the veteran winger is already on point to surpass his points record from last season and has a modest contract that is set to expire when the season is over. Any team looking for a veteran presence and locker room stability could add Pouliot at a relatively low cost.

There are players outside of that that Buffalo may want to move, although hefty contracts make them more unappealing trading chips. A few sources hinted before that Ryan O'Reilly could also be on the trade block since he could certainly help out a contending team, but his large seven-year contract likely makes teams nervous. More than likely, O'Reilly is the second-most untouchable player on the team, behind franchise face Eichel.

However, if someone is willing to accept that contract, it'd be getting a player in O'Reilly who has topped 20 goals in three of the past four seasons and has notched at least 55 points in five out the past six years, including the last four. He's also on pace to continue that streak with 11 goals and 18 assists in the 42 contests in which he's played.

While it remains to be seen exactly which players will head out of Buffalo, it's clear the Sabres need to shake things up. Once again sitting at the bottom of the standings shows the team is clearly stuck in neutral — if not going in reverse — and needs a full rebuild if it hopes to maximize Eichel's talents and get back to the postseason sooner rather than later.

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