It has been a pretty active offseason already for the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have already sacked their head coach Phil Housley and brought in a replacement in Ralph Krueger. They have already gotten their star an, Jeff Skinner, to sign on a new eight-year deal. And if further reports are to be believed, the Sabres are only getting started. The latest rumors link them to Minnesota Wild’s Jason Zucker.
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This new information comes from Pierre LeBrun, of The Athletic. He also noted that the Sabres are looking at a new second-line center as well, with Matt Dechene being the current top choice.
Jason Zucker contract expiring soon
Zucker’s current contract runs for four more years, with an annual cap hit of $5.5 million. He has a no-trade clause in his contract which begins from July 1, so if any deal is to materialize, it must do so before that date.
As for the first-round picks, the Sabres have two. One of them has already been traded with the Anaheim Ducks, in exchange for Brandon Montour. The second first rounder that Sabres have their eyes on will be 30th or 31st, depending on how the St Louis Blues do in the Stanley Cup. Perhaps that first rounder will come into play with Zucker?
Can Sabres afford Zucker?
As far as the Sabres are concerned, they can easily afford Zucker’s cap hit and still have some money lying around to land other crucial players. They could spend that on Ramus RIstolainen, who has a $5.4 million annual cap hit for the next 3 years.
While Zucker will be a great fit for the Sabres, they need to push themselves and surround him with better players on the wings.