Two-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender Matt Murray confirmed to Toronto reporters Tuesday what’s been suspected since he nixed a move to the Buffalo Sabres last week.
Murray wanted to join the Maple Leafs and used his no-trade protection to try to make it happen.
His decision forced Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams to continue his search for a goalie to work in tandem with Craig Anderson. While Adams has stressed patience during his quest to add an experienced netminder, he’s running short on time.
Unrestricted free agents can sign elsewhere beginning Wednesday at noon, and the top available goalies, Jack Campbell and Darcy Kuemper, have been linked to the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals, respectively. Both are expected to receive long-term contracts – likely five years each – which doesn’t fit Adams’ plan for a stopgap option until Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Devon Levi are ready to be Buffalo’s starter.
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The Sabres have other needs, though two were filled Tuesday by signing winger Vinnie Hinostroza to a one-year, $1.7 million contract and agreed to terms with goalie Malcolm Subban on a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 in the NHL.
Adams also needs to add a veteran defenseman to join his young group of blue liners, a bottom-six forward might be necessary with Cody Eakin expecting to depart and depth players will be added on two-way contracts with the intent of putting them in Rochester.
Buffalo also needs to spend approximately $10 million to reach the NHL-mandated salary cap floor, though a new contract for restricted free agent Victor Olofsson should account for half that amount. It’s a free-agent day unlike any Sabres fans have experienced in some time.
No one knows for certain how Adams will weaponize his cap space because the club doesn’t intend to add high-profile veterans to take ice time or opportunity away from the young core, which could grow with Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka set to compete for a roster spot in training camp.
The Sabres find themselves in the same precarious situation as last July, when they were waiting to learn if Linus Ullmark would accept their multi-year contract offer to remain their starting goalie. He bolted for Boston on a four-year, $20 million contract, forcing Buffalo to sign Anderson and Aaron Dell in the final hours of free-agent frenzy.
Adams doesn’t want to be the last man standing in the game of goalie musical chairs, but the market is thin on options with the top guys expected to sign long-term pacts with Stanley Cup contenders. He can pursue someone like Eric Comrie, an accomplished backup with Winnipeg who will be seeking a starting opportunity at 27 years old. Or Adams can use his assets, including eight picks in the 2023 NHL Draft, to acquire one of San Jose’s three goalies: James Reimer, Adin Hill or Kaapo Kahkonen.
Reimer and Hill have one year remaining on their respective contracts, while Kahkonen is a restricted free agent and less likely to be moved by new Sharks General Manager Mike Grier.
“Obviously, you can get emotional, or you can make quick decisions and I don't think that's how we want to run our business,” Adams said following the draft in Montreal. “I think we want to be disciplined in what we do. We want to be intentional in how we do things. We want to have players who want to be here for the right reasons. As we get into the next phase of this offseason, we'll look at all options, which we will continue to do right through (free agency), but feel good about where we're at."
Other free-agent options include Martin Jones, Ilya Samsonov, Jaroslav Halak and David Rittich. Samsonov, 25, is arguably the most intriguing low-cost option available after the 2015 first-round draft choice wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer by the Capitals. He was teammates with Anderson in Washington during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season but performed poorly during his final year with the Capitals.
The Sabres can’t settle for a backup, either. Anderson, 41, is entering his 20th NHL season and won’t be able to handle a starter’s workload. Ideally, Buffalo would add a goalie who can play 40-plus games to supplement what Anderson and Luukkonen handle in the NHL next season.
Subban, 28, was signed to be part of a tandem with the Rochester Americans. He recorded an .871 save percentage in four games with Buffalo following his trade from Blackhawks but suffered a season-ending injury during his final appearance Jan. 11. A first-round draft pick in 2012, Subban is an athletic goalie with upside and fit well in the Sabres' dressing room. The move will likely lead to the departures of goalies Dustin Tokarski and Aaron Dell.
Luukkonen, 23, performed well during his 13 NHL games since debuting with Buffalo, including a .913 save percentage. But injuries have impacted his development – he missed the Calder Cup Playoffs with a lower-body injury suffered on a collision in his crease – and he will benefit from more time as the Amerks’ starter.
The Sabres have several unrestricted free agents at other positions who saw time in the NHL last season: Eakin, John Hayden, Will Butcher, Colin Miller, Mark Pysyk, Drake Caggiula, Mark Jankowski, Ryan MacInnis and Ethan Prow. The list shrunk with Hinostroza signing on the eve of free agency.
Hinostroza, 28, proved to be a good fit on and off the ice in Buffalo. He’s revered as a leader in the Sabres’ dressing room and coach Don Granato credited Hinostroza for raising the competitiveness at practices with his work ethic. Hinostroza also formed instant chemistry with center Dylan Cozens and totaled 13 goals in 62 games. Hinostroza's new contract also came in below market value, as Evolving-Hockey.com projected he would receive $2.154 million.
Will Adams now clear a roster spot for Quinn and Peterka? Anders Bjork could be the odd-man out. The 25-year-old has a $1.6 million cap hit for next season and a $1.8 million salary, even if he’s sent to the American Hockey League. Adams could try to find a new team for Bjork to open a create a spot. Bjork, who was acquired from Boston in the Taylor Hall trade, had only eight points while averaging 12:02 of ice time in 52 games last season.
Adams is unlikely to add a top-six forward, even though Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday morning that Buffalo is among the teams that have expressed interest in trading for Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk. Such a plan would require Quinn and/or Peterka to start the season in Rochester.
It’s unclear what, if anything, Adams plans to do with his bottom-six forwards. Does Zemgus Girgensons move back to center to replace Eakin? Will Sean Malone or Arttu Ruotsalainen compete to be the fourth-line center? Is a faceoff specialist an area of need in free agency? There are cheap options, including former Sabre Curtis Lazar.
Few, if any, roster spots are available up front with the following forwards under contract or whose rights were retained Monday by a qualifying offer in restricted free agency: Cozens, Olofsson, Bjork, Quinn, Peterka, Girgensons, Ruotsalainen, Hinostroza, Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, Casey Mittelstadt and Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Asplund and Brett Murray.
Olofsson, 26, is the restricted free agent most likely to sign a multi-year contract. He’s projected to receive a four-year pact with a $4.951 million average annual value, according to Evolving-Hockey.com, following a season in which he totaled 20 goals despite playing through a wrist injury that impacted his left-handed shot.
The Sabres will want to avoid another arbitration with Olofsson, but how much term are they willing to give him? A weapon on the power play, Olofsson’s role and ice time could eventually go to prospects like Quinn, Peterka or Isak Rosen, among others. Olofsson can’t sign elsewhere yet, but he’s inching closer to unrestricted free agency.
In free agency, the Sabres are more likely to spend their cap space on defense, where six are under contract for next season: Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power, Henri Jokiharju, Jacob Bryson and Casey Fitzgerald. Buffalo signed Bryson, a restricted free agent, to a two-year contract and plan to use him on both sides of defense. But another right-shot defenseman is needed for the group, which has an average age of 22.5 years old.
A corner of the Sabres’ fan base wants Adams to spend his cap space to try to snap the playoff drought. The problem, though, is free agency often requires the club to overpay and Buffalo needs cap space in future seasons to sign players like Thompson, who is a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023. The Sabres’ path to contention centers around their ability to develop the young core and doing so requires those players to receive ample ice time.
All eyes are on the Sabres’ crease, though. And with time running out, Adams must decide if he’s willing to pay the price to solve a position that’s been a problem for the franchise since Ryan Miller’s exit in 2014.
