The Buffalo Sabres will be looking for help upfront
The Fourth Period: The Buffalo Sabres will be looking for a top-six winger and a third-line center this offseason. They have over $23.2 million in projected cap space.
Pending UFA Victor Olofsson won’t be back (confirmed by his agent) and Zemgus Girgensons could be looking for a new team after spending the past 10 years with the Sabres. The Sabres will also need to make decisions on forwards Tyson Jost and Eric Robinson.
NHL Rumors: Will the New Jersey Devils and/or the Buffalo Sabres Trade Their First-Round Pick?
It could be a busy and interesting offseason for the Winnipeg Jets
Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun: (mailbag) Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers is entering the final year of his contract with a $6 million cap and a 10-team trade list. If they were to look to move him this offseason, they could try to move him for a top-four defenseman who is also on an expiring deal. Options could include Jakob Chychrun (Senators), Jaccob Slavin (Hurricanes), Vladislav Gavrikov (Kings) and Shea Theodore (Golden Knights). Chychrun would make sense.
The Jets have moved some draft picks at the deadline the past two years, so they could look to move Ehlers to recoup some of them. Clearing the $6 million would give them some room to go after free agents like Brett Pesce, Brandon Montour, Brady Skjei or Nikita Zadorov.
Think that the Jets are trying to re-sign forward Sean Monahan to a four-year deal in the $4 to $4.5 million range.
Goaltender Laurent Brossoit will likely test free agency looking for more money and playing time.
NHL Rumors: Do The Winnipeg Jets Hire Scott Arniel as the Next Head Coach?
Have heard the Jets have some interest in signing 31-year-old defenseman Dylan DeMelo to a longer-termed deal.
Have heard the chances are slim to none of the Jets re-signing Brenden Dillon. Sources said that Dillon’s agents haven’t heard from the Jets all season.