Large Contingent Of Scouts At Sabres – Ducks Game

The Buffalo Sabres have now won six straight on home ice after a 3-2 comeback victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, but with the club still in last place in the Eastern Conference and 11 points behind Columbus in the second wildcard spot, it is still likely that GM Kevyn Adams will be in sell mode with just over a week to go before the NHL trade deadline.

The most noticeable presence (or lack thereof) at Key Bank Center for the Sabres–Ducks game was the absence of scouts from the Vegas Golden Knights. A pair of scouts from the Pacific Division leader had been at the last five Buffalo games but were not among the nine teams in attendance on Tuesday. The teams represented were the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, and Utah Hockey Club.

Adams indicated earlier this month that he would prefer not to be a seller and is looking to make player-for-player hockey deals instead of trading players on expiring contracts. This may be reflected in the teams represented by scouts in attendance at Sabres games against Anaheim. All but two of them are currently outside the playoffs and could be more likely to make the type of deal that Buffalo is looking for.

Vegas, Carolina, and Minnesota may be more interested in pending unrestricted free agents Henri Jokiharju, Jason Zucker, and Jordan Greenway. If the Sabres cannot make progress on contract extensions over the next week, they could potentially be available.

Center Dylan Cozens and winger Alex Tuch have been floating around in recent trade rumors.

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