Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams entered the 2023 off-season in a different place than in previous years after the Sabres finished a single point out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot, behind the eventual Stanley Cup finalist Florida Panthers. The team is now considered an up-and-coming franchise, so Adams is under pressure to make sure the Sabres continue to progress in the 2023-24 season. He beefed up his squad at the trade deadline by adding forward Jordan Greenway and defenseman Ryan Stillman, but hasn’t dabbled in the trade market as of yet in the off-season to improve the club. Here are the moves the team has made with an eye toward next season:
Free Agency
It was all about adding to the defense corps for Adams. He signed a pair of veterans, Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson, one of whom should wind up pairing with young star Owen Power this season on the back end. Both appear to be slated for the top 6 in some way. Buffalo’s goaltending situation may be a possible weak spot, but the team seems to be content with going into next season with a pairing of rookie Devon Levi and either Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Eric Comrie. The only free agent signings in the net were depth additions probably slated for their Rochester AHL affiliate – old friend Dustin Tokarski and Devin Cooley.
Entry Draft
The team’s top draft pick is an intriguing player. He is Zach Benson, a winger for the WHL Winnipeg Ice who was a teammate of the club’s 2022 top pick, Matt Savoie. Savoie is considered a can’t-miss future star, but some pundits claim Benson is even better. The second round pick is Swedish centerman Anton Wahlberg, who at 6’3 and 191 lbs. will add size to the roster once he’s ready for NHL play, which should be a few years off. Four of the remaining 6 picks were defensemen, as the team looked to boost an area of their pipeline that was lacking. The most interesting of those picks is local product Gavin McCarthy from Clarence, NY. The team had 2 second round picks, and along with Wahlberg they plucked another big defenseman in 6’3″ 205 lb. Maxim Strbak, a good two-way player with excellent skating ability from Slovakia. Although he’s a long way off from the NHL, the team did add a netminder in the draft, 5th round pick Scott Ratzlaff.