Insider Says Potential Any Sabres Deal Has To Be A Hockey Trade

The NHL Christmas trade freeze kicks in at 12 midnight this Friday and clubs such as the NY Rangers, Seattle Kraken, Montreal Canadiens, and Nashville Predators all made what would be considered tinkering moves on Wednesday, but coming off their 11^th straight defeat on Tuesday in Montreal, there continues to be chatter that the Buffalo Sabres would like to shake up their roster.

Hockey insider Darren Dreger said on TSN 1050 radio on Wednesday that the Sabres are willing to make a big deal and that they are willing to move out players that would be considered part of their core group, but that they would only do that if they get what they consider a top player back.

A hockey deal featuring players of equal value or at similar points of their career is extremely rare in season, mostly because teams looking for an impact player are usually contenders who are not willing to give up a player that can help them win now.

Both Dreger and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram as a potential trade target, but the 23-year-old pending RFA has another two years left before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency. That means that Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams is not under the gun to move Byram unless he gets a deal to his liking, but maybe feeling some pressure based on the Sabres taking up residence once again at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

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