It has been a long time since the Buffalo Sabres have been not only buyers at the trade deadline but also rumored to be heavily involved in one of the top players reportedly available. However, that is what happened on Tuesday with St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas.
While trade discussions have reportedly slowed down between the two teams, the rumors are just picking up for the Sabres. Some of those rumors are certainly out there and hard to believe based on how the season has gone.
Recently, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was listing potential teams for Florida Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky. LeBrun noted that sources have told him the Panthers are in sell mode on their unrestricted free agents, and that includes their starting goalie.
Bobrovsky has been one of the best goalies in the league for a while now and was their starting goalie for the last two Stanley Cup runs with the Panthers. There are teams that certainly should be interested in him, as LeBrun mentions the Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights or even the Montreal Canadiens.
However, he also surprisingly included the Buffalo Sabres as a team who might come out of left field:
"Here's one from left field: the Buffalo Sabres? There's zero reason to worry about goaltending with the Sabres this season. Alex Lyon's .915 save percentage is top five in the NHL, and Ukko-Pekka Luukonen's .908 is top 20. But I will just point out the long history Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen has with Bobrovsky from their Columbus days."
Buffalo Sabres should not waste assets on trading for Sergi Bobrovsky
Certainly, Jarmo Kekalainen saw Sergei Bobrovsky at his best as he won the Vezina Trophy twice in seven seasons in Columbus. However, as LeBrun noted, the Sabres have gotten great production from Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who rank among the best in save percentage.
On top of that, the Sabres have Colten Ellis on their roster, who is ready to step in if the need were to arise, while Devon Levi continues to wait for his moment down in Rochester. The production and the depth the team has at the position make a trade like this a little unrealistic.
The only thing that Bobrovsky could bring to the roster that no other goalie has is the extensive playoff experience. In his career, Bobrovsky has appeared in 117 playoff games compared to only four playoff games combined for the Sabres' goalies, with Lyon having all four games.
Jarmo Kekalainen should absolutely be aggressive ahead of Friday's deadline, but the focus should be on areas that clearly improve the roster. A trade for Bobrovsky would certainly bring headlines and give them a playoff-tested goalie, but when considering it probably would cost a first-round pick plus more, which could be better spent elsewhere to add to the roster.
There is no question that there is no other player on the Buffalo Sabres who have the resume that Sergei Bobrovsky has. However, the fact that both Lyon and Luukkonen have been better this season it feels like a step backwards and an unnecessary move for a team trying to end a 14-season playoff drought.