3 trades the Buffalo Sabres need to make this offseason
Buffalo Sabres: Trade for Alex Kerfoot
The Sabres most pressing immediate need is a second line center after the horrendous Ryan O’Reilly trade to the St. Louis Blues last offseason. However there aren’t many options out there for the Sabres to choose from. Teams don’t just give away top six centers, and the meager few that could be considered available would cost a hefty sum of assets.
The Sabres can’t afford to give up those futures in their current state, so they need to find value with players that are being forced out due to newfound cap constraints. That’s where a player like Alex Kerfoot comes in.
Kerfoot signed with the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent out of college in 2017, and produced back to back 40-plus point seasons with the Avalanche before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the Nazem Kadri trade. Toronto immediately signed him to a four-year deal worth $14 million, but due to a coaching changes and other consistency issues in Toronto, Kerfoot had some trouble adjusting. His 28 points before the season stoppage was a bit disappointing, but he still excelled in other areas.
Kerfoot was Toronto’s best defensive forward during the regular season, and was one of the best on the team in shot suppression. Despite not having impressive point totals, 25 of his 28 points points came at even strength. If he were to get some power play time, his point totals would surely increase. He’s the kind of player that does a lot of little things right, and has noticeably positive impacts on a game whenever he’s on the ice.
Kerfoot may not be the most attractive center on the trade market, but he is exactly the kind of guy the Sabres should be looking to acquire. He’s on a reasonable contract for three more years, is still only just 25 years old, and can probably be acquired in a trade for a reasonable price due to Toronto’s cap constraints. That’s the kind of value the Sabres should be looking for rather than just a big expensive name that could put them in an even worse position.
Right away Kerfoot be an upgrade by giving the Sabres an NHL caliber center without having to move players over from the wing like they’ve been doing. Additionally, it allows the Sabres to still develop prospects Casey Mittelstadt and Dylan Cozens as potential second line centers of the future.
When Mittelstadt played in the NHL, he was forced into a second line center role far before he was ready which hurt his development. Having Kerfoot there to at least fill the gap will allow Mitterstadt and Cozens to develop at their own pace, and allow for room for them take over as the second line center whenever necessary. With three years left on Kerfoot’s contract, he gives Buffalo some much needed room to breathe down the middle while not locking them into an expensive contract they could come to regret with an older, more established player.
Even if Kerfoot doesn’t give them exactly what their looking for as a second line center, he still gives them room to either wait for their prospects to properly develop or acquire another one. Center depth is never a bad thing to have, and the Sabres desperately need it if they’re going to compete any time soon.