Welcome back to NHL rumours. Each day, we look at all that is happening throughout the league. Breaking down the latest trade, signings, and roster rumours. Today, we have a rumour from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. During 32 Thoughts, he mentions that he could see the Buffalo Sabres looking for defence help. With Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju out, he wonders if the Sabres will look to add and help their surging hot start.
NHL Rumours: Sabres Could Look for Trade
It seems slightly early to be making moves already in the NHL season. However, if one team will look to keep a hot streak going, it is the Sabres. The difficulty of trading this early isn’t because teams don’t want to improve, but because it’s hard to find teams already looking to sell. Yes, there are a number of teams that likely know they won’t do much this year. However, a lot of teams view it as a bad look optically if they are already selling on the season.
All of this makes it tough to find a true upgrade this early into the season, especially if you’re not looking to give up anything from your roster, which Buffalo likely isn’t. There are a few names that may be out there. Ethan Bear is the one that comes directly to mind. He has been a healthy scratch all year. But does he fit Buffalo? They may be looking for more of a defensive defenceman to slot in with Rasmus Dahlin. Currently, Ilya Lyubushkin is up on that pair, but if they can bump him down the lineup they would always take that depth.
Friedman doesn’t name anyone they may have in mind, just that he could see them adding to a group that is playing very well. The Sabres are hoping this hot start is different to those in years past. Adding another legit NHL defenceman so that even when Samuelsson and Jokiharju are back they still have depth would be a good way to make sure you don’t slow down.
Look for the Sabres to remain an active team in NHL Rumours as they scour the market for possible trade options. If there are more developments, we will have them here at Last Word on Hockey.
We have recalled defenseman Lawrence Pilut from @AmerksHockey. pic.twitter.com/xwE6oKv4li
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 21, 2022
