NHL Rumours: Buffalo Sabres Targeting Multiple Blues

Thomas Rumour: Accoring to Darren Dreger, the Sabres are emerging as a candidate for St. Louis Blues superstar Robert Thomas. Multiple teams have expressed interest in Thomas. The package to get him out of St. Louis will have to be massive. Do the Sabres have the assets the Blues are looking for? Are the Blues even willing to part with their forward? Is Thomas willing to move to a contender? All questions that will be answered by Friday’s 2025-26 NHL Trade Deadline. 

Faulk Rumour: According to Chris Johnston on the Chris Johnston Show, the Sabres have been kicking tires on Justin Faulk. The Blues defenceman would be a nice addition to an already stout blueline in Buffalo. It would take a lot of pressure off of guys who are playing a ton of minutes a night. Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power consistently log 20-plus minutes a night each. If they had another defender to take some of that pressure off, it bodes well for the long term success of the team. 

Analysis: Both of these men could help the Sabres in their playoff push. However, both of them have no move clauses, and Buffalo isn’t exactly at the top of the “desirable locations” list. However, the Sabres have pushed their way to third place in the Eastern Conference Standings, far from the bottom of the Western Conference the Blues find themselves in. Winning is attractive, maybe more so for Faulk, who only have one year left on his deal, while Thomas has five years remaining on his current deal.

The Salary Cap Problem

It doesn’t make sense for the Sabres to trade for both of these guys. They’d have to give up a remarkable amount of assets to get them. Plus, there’s just no way the Sabres could make the numbers fit under the cap. They’re currently listed as having $7.3 million in cap space, mostly due to injuries to a couple players. The Blues won’t retain on Thomas’ contract, and even that number exceeds the limit for the Sabres right now.

Which means the Sabres would have to ship out some players and some money to make room for both players. Which, if the Blues retained on Faulk, the Sabres would need around $11 million dollars to grab both players. It seems unlikely that the Sabres would be willing to part ways with impact players in the midst of a franchise setting run. While the Sabres could find ways to make it wor, it’s doubtful both players find themselves in Buffalo this season.

Faulk or Thomas?

Faulk seems like the more likely target for the Sabres. Thomas will maker an immediate impact on whatever team he’s traded to. He is a number one centre all day long, coming off of back-to-back 80-point seasons. However, the Sabres are grinding their defenceman down to the bone right now. The top-four defenders in Buffalo could use a third pair defenceman that can take reliable minutes. Michael Kesselring hasn’t become that player yet for the Sabres. Leaving them with Zach Metsa taking minutes on the third pair.

Now if the Sabres can find a way to make it work, they should absolutely swing for the fences with Thomas. The trade package will have to be hefty, but Thomas takes the Sabres from “oh they’re going to make it, that’s fun,” to “how many rounds will they win.” A top-six forward group that included: Tage Thomspon, Joshua Norris, Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker, Josh Doan, and Robert Thomas would be a lethal group.

The Last Word on Trade Packages for Faulk and Thomas

Let’s start with Faulk. An ideal scenario for the Sabres would likely include the Blues retaining on 50% of Faulk’s contract. The Sabres will likely have to pony up a first-round pick, and a prospect for an aging Faulk. Throw in the Sabres 2026 first-round draft pick, and say Isak Rosen. If the Blues want a different prospect, it’s feasible the Sabres would be willing to move on from Jiri Kulich. Kulich barely played at the start of the season due to an issue surrounding blood clots. But has shown nice flashes in the NHL.

For Thomas, the Blues should be looking for a roughly five asset package. It depends on whether or not they believe they can retool quickly, or if they need to blow it up and do a full on rebuild. If it’s the former, the package will still likely include the 2026 first round pick. As well as NHL ready players, such as Zach Benson or Jack Quinn. The Blues might look to get Byram or Power as the big piece in the return. If it’s a full rebuild in St. Louis, it will likely require two first round picks, a younger forward or two, and a prospect.

The Sabres are Buyers

This is fresh territory for Sabres fans. They haven’t been looking to add at the deadline in year. Their run that started in December where they were the worst team in the conference got them up to sixth in the league. They fired Kevyn Adams, and promoted Jarmo Kekalainen to be the general manager. Kekalainen was known for his big swings in his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Sabres fans are ready for that energy in Buffalo.