Scout Sightings At Sabres-Bruins Game

The Buffalo Sabres 7-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday was a positive moment in an otherwise dreary and disappointing season. Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka each registered a hat trick; the first time that a pair of Sabres have scored hat tricks in 17 years (Drew Stafford and Derek Roy did it in January 2008 against Atlanta), but the win served only as a temporary distraction from what undoubtedly will be a 14th straight season outside of the playoffs.

Buffalo is currently in last place and 12 points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, which puts the club firmly in the seller category before the March 7 trade deadline. Some NHL insiders believe that a number of clubs may be looking to make a move prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off next month, as Carolina and Colorado did with Mikko Rantanen last week, which means tracking scouts at games over the next five weeks

Pending unrestricted free agents Jason Zucker, Jordan Greenway (currently on IR), defenseman Henri Jokiharju, and goalie James Reimer are likely the target of playoff-bound clubs, but persistent rumors have GM Kevyn Adams considering all options.

Scouts for eight NHL clubs were in attendance at the game at KeyBank Center, including a pair of scouts for the Sabres division rival, the Detroit Red Wings, and from the Vegas Golden Knights. Detroit has been rumored to have interest in center Dylan Cozens, while the Golden Knights may be looking for depth players in preparation for another Stanley Cup run.

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