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Way-too-early Buffalo Sabres trade candidates in 2025-26 season

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Tristin McKinstry | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 9:34 PM ET

The Buffalo Sabres have had brutal luck over the last several years. A lot of Buffalo’s failures are self-inflicted, to be fair. Buffalo has been stuck in a repeating rebuild cycle since the mid-2010s. However, this team came within a tiebreaker of breaking their long postseason drought in 2023. Instead of making the postseason, though, they missed. And their drought has now reached 14 seasons.

Buffalo’s roster is largely unchanged from that 2023 team. Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, and Alex Tuch remain the headline stars. Over the last two years, they’ve added the likes of Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod to the roster. Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen has emerged as one of the better young goalies in the NHL, as well.

The talent is there for this Sabres team. For whatever reason, though, they’ve struggled to contend for the postseason. Buffalo avoided a last-place finish in 2024-25, to be fair. But they avoided it by two points, barely clearing a Boston Bruins team that sold at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.

It appears as if Buffalo could struggle to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again. They play in the league’s toughest division. And they haven’t made any moves that put them over their rivals. With this in mind, here are two way-too-early trade candidates who could be in play when the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline rolls around.

Bowen Byram remains a Sabres trade candidate

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) during a stoppage in play against the Montreal Canadiens at KeyBank Center. Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Sabres re-signed Bowen Byram on a two-year contract this summer. This deal came after months of trade speculation around the former Stanley Cup Champion. It was a needed deal, as well. Byram became a restricted free agent on July 1 when NHL Free Agency began.

This contract likely shuts down the possibility of a trade this summer. However, it does not prevent the possibility of a trade altogether. If the Sabres fail to contend by the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, Byram certainly could be available on the trade market.

The Sabres likely didn’t pull the trigger last season because they didn’t like the offers received. This shouldn’t be a problem in 2026, though. Byram won’t be a rental at that point. He’ll have an extra year on his contract, which makes him a more valuable trade candidate.

The Sabres have a stacked left side of their blueline as things stand. Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power are both signed to long-term contracts, though. No matter how you look at it, Byram is the most likely odd man out, regardless of his recent contract extension.

Alex Tuch is on an expiring contract

Alex Tuch came over in the Jack Eichel trade with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021. This was a full-circle moment for the former first-round pick, who grew up a Sabres fan. And so far, he has worn the jersey with pride while emerging as one of their best players.

Tuch has spent parts of four seasons in Buffalo. In that time, he has 106 goals and 243 points while skating in 281 games. This past season saw him match his career-high 36 goals for the Sabres. He is a top-six forward without a doubt, and would occupy such a role on any team.

The 29-year-old is a free agent next summer. At this time, he has not signed a contract extension with Buffalo. This can certainly change over the next few months. If he heads into the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline as a pending free agent, though, he would certainly qualify as a Sabres trade candidate.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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