BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Sabres re-signed center Ryan McLeod to an upper mid-level deal, but otherwise made only minor moves in the first 24 hours of NHL free agency.
There is still much intrigue about what the Sabres will do with restricted free agent Bowen Byram. “Things are percolating,” one league insider reported, and general manager Kevyn Adams said Wednesday the Sabres have engaged in trade discussions but remain open to bringing back Byram.
That was among the takeaways from Adams’ meeting with reporters before development camp practice to discuss the start of the free agent period.
Byram’s status
“Nothing’s changed in the sense that we believe Bo is an excellent hockey player that will help our team win,” Adams said. “I’ve maintained that same position, that if there’s a deal out there that we think is going to improve our roster, we’re open to it. But if there’s not, we’re not in a situation where we’re looking to move him out, looking to move him for futures or stuff like that. We want to help our team win.”
Adams said the Sabres are “absolutely” prepared to match an offer sheet for Byram, and that played into their lack of spending the first day of free agency. Buffalo is currently projected to have about $12 million in salary cap space, and Byram’s contract would likely account for at least half of that. If the Sabres don’t match an offer sheet, they would receive a first and third-round pick as compensation, based on Byram’s projected salary.
The Sabres would prefer trading Byram for a player or two who could immediately join the lineup. Adams indicated Buffalo’s asking price might be a forward and a defenseman for the 24-year-old who produced 38 points in his first full season with the Sabres after being acquired in a trade for Casey Mittelstadt.
McLeod deal
The Sabres were able to strike a deal with McLeod, another trade acquisition who was a restricted free agent, paying him an average salary of $5 over four years.
That slots McLeod fifth on Buffalo’s payroll, and third among forwards after he produced 20 goals and 53 points playing mostly as a mid-line center at age 25. In both salary and term of contract, this is the largest contract the Sabres have given during the free agency period since Adams took over as GM.
“He was two years from,” unrestricted free agency, “so I felt that is a really important piece with our team and the role he plays,” Adams said. “He can move over to wing, he can play power play, he kills penalties, an all-situations, right in the prime years of his career as a centerman.”
On the margins
The Sabres filled out the bottom of their depth chart by adding veteran forward Justin Danforth and goaltender Alex Lyon in free agency.
The 32-year-old Danforth, who started his pro career in Rochester in 2017, is a “glue guy,” Adams said, with experience playing both center and wing. He had 21 points in 61 games with the Blue Jackets last season.
“He’s the ultimate, when you do your homework on a guy like that, competitor,” Adams said. “Just versatile. Can move around your lineup, can play up and down, can move to the wing, enter. Good penalty killer. Just brings a veteran presence to our lineup that I think is really important.”
Lyon, 32, who posted a .902 save percentage in 113 carer games with the Red Wings, Flyers, Panthers and Hurricanes, is “a proven goaltender in this league,” Adams said. “I think he’s a really good veteran. He checks the box in terms of what I just laid out in terms of veteran presence: high-character guy, he’s proven in the league, he’s played well in his time in the National Hockey League. He’s going to challenge and push. We just think he’s going to help us win hockey games.”
Tuch extension
Adams said he has opened dialogue with the representation for Alex Tuch, an alternative captain and one of the team’s most popular players, who is now eligible for a contract extension.
“He is to me a really important player for us,” Adams said. “He loves Buffalo, wants to be here. That was really clear. And we believe in him and realize what he brings every night.”
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.