The offseason is underway for all 32 NHL teams. Most teams have already made internal transactions. We’ve seen a few extensions take place, including the Dallas Stars signing Matt Duchene to a four-year contract extension worth $4.5 million per season. The Chicago Blackhawks, on the other hand, have made multiple transactions, including extending Ryan Donato to a four-year contract worth $4 million per season and trading for Andre Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken.
On the flip side, the Buffalo Sabres have not made a single roster transaction so far. With the roster needing improvement and having five pending restricted free agents, the Sabres face significant pressure this offseason. I do expect them to be active within the free agency market, though. With a need in the top-six and a right-handed defenseman, there are a few players that the Sabres should target once free agency opens up at 12 pm EST on July 1.
Mitch Marner
We’re off to a bang with Mitch Marner being the lead target. Of course, the Sabres should target him, and it’s somewhat realistic as well. Marner, coming off career-highs in assists (75) and points (102), is the most sought-after free agent this offseason. With a report coming from Pierre LeBrun that Marner could accept a shorter-term deal to get another payday while in his prime, Buffalo feels realistic at that point (from ‘NHL rumblings: Who was in on Toews, plus latest on Marner, McDavid, Tavares, Robertson and more – The Athletic, 6/21/25).
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs (Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
I never once thought that Marner would accept a seven-year deal from the Sabres, but with that report from LeBrun, I am truly curious if he’d take a two-year contract from the team. A team that is looking to add to the top-six and needs a top-line scoring winger, Marner is the perfect fit. Put him on a line with Tage Thompson, and Marner might get 80 assists, and Thompson could get his first 50-goal season of his career.
Overall, Marner would do wonders for the Sabres, and if they want to have a real shot at signing him, a two-year contract worth $14-$15 million a season would have to be what they offer him. For a team that has missed the playoffs the last 14 seasons and at times seems to have no direction, they have zero leverage on signing a player of Marner’s caliber, especially when teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes are expected to be aggressive in signing him.
Nikolaj Ehlers
A player whose status is uncertain as to whether he’s going to stay with the Winnipeg Jets or not. Coming off a 63-point campaign, Nikolaj Ehlers is what every team wants in a top-line winger. He has scored 20-plus goals in eight of the 10 seasons he has played, and it feels like he would be a good fit in the Sabres’ top-six.
With Ehlers, it’s a slightly different situation compared to Marner. I don’t see a world where he doesn’t take a six-to-seven-year contract, and that’s where the Sabres run into the problem of trying to sign him. They might have to overpay by $1-$2 million if they are seriously interested in signing him.
He is 29 years old, so that is something to consider, but if you’re the Sabres, you can’t be afraid of age, especially given how things have gone over the last 14 seasons. If a contract were to be agreed upon, it would be a six-year deal worth $9 million per season.
Brock Boeser
In what seems like a thin free agency class at wing, Brock Boeser is the third winger who teams are salivating over. The Sabres are one of several teams that are kicking the tires on Boeser. With a ton of teams in on him, they are going to have to have an enticing offer that he cannot pass up.
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With 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 75 games played, Boeser did not have his best season in a contract year, but he has shown everyone that he can be highly productive. With all of the drama that was going on within the Vancouver Canucks organization from the J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson stuff that led to Miller being traded to the New York Rangers, and Jim Rutherford seemingly having a press conference once a month and saying too much, Boeser stayed quiet, played hockey and was a good player.
A contract could be a seven-year deal worth $8 million per season. I do expect him to sign elsewhere; however, the Sabres are going to be aggressive this offseason, and that includes making an aggressive pursuit for Boeser.
Aaron Ekblad
Aaron Ekblad has been a part of the Florida Panthers’ core since he was drafted first overall in the 2014 Entry Draft. A key component to back-to-back championships, Ekblad is due for a contract and a possible raise from his current one, which is expiring.
The Sabres have a need for a right-handed defenseman, and Ekblad is the perfect guy. A brilliant puck-moving defenseman who can also shut down opponents’ rushes and be a physical presence, he seems to be everything the Sabres are looking for. Inserting him on the top defense pair with Rasmus Dahlin would be borderline unfair against teams. Dahlin, one of the best two-way defenseman paired with a physical presence in Ekblad, will give their opponents issues night in and night out.
Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Given Ekblad is in the middle of his prime, I expect a contract around the one that is expiring, which was an eight-year contract worth $7.5 million per season that he signed following his entry-level contract back in 2016. If the Sabres were to offer Ekblad a contract, I’d go for a seven-year deal worth $8 million per season. He is well worth it, especially with how important he has been to the Panthers’ Stanley Cup runs over the last three seasons.
Vladislav Gavrikov
Last but not least, Vladislav Gavrikov would be a phenomenal fit on the Sabres’ blue line. A true shutdown defenseman and one of the better ones in the league, he is precisely what the Sabres are looking for. I get that he’s a left-shot, but put him on a pair with Dahlin, who is good enough to play on the right side as a left-shot; they will instantly become comparable to a defense pair like Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, probably even better.
Gavrikov had an outstanding season as one of the Los Angeles Kings’ top defensemen. According to Evolving Hockey, he was in the 98th percentile in defensive play. That is the type of player the Sabres desperately need on the blue line.
The Sabres need to do whatever it takes to get a deal agreed upon with Gavrikov in free agency. A potential contract could look like a four-year deal worth up to $7-$8 million per season. Would he be willing to sign with the Sabres? Who knows, but the organization needs to make an effort to attract top players through free agency.
The Sabres are expected to be aggressive this offseason, whether it’s via trades or free agency. Hoping to avoid extending their playoff drought, they need to acquire one of these five players. The most realistic being Gavrikov or Boeser. The long shot is Marner, but again, you never know.
Be sure to stay up to date with us as free agency kicks off on Tuesday: The Hockey Writers 2025 Free Agency Tracker.
