All 32 NHL teams in the offseason are ongoing. Most teams have already made internal transactions. We’ve seen some expansions, including the Dallas Stars signing Matt Duchene’s four-year contract extension, worth $4.5 million per season. The Chicago Blackhawks, on the other hand, made several deals, including extending Ryan Donato to a four-year contract worth $4 million and swapping Andre Burakovsky from Seattle Kraken.
On the other hand, Buffalo Saber has not yet made a single roster deal. With the roster needed to improve and have five pending restricted free agents, the Saber faces enormous pressure during the offseason. I do want them to be active in the free agency market. With the need for a top six and right-handed defender, Saber will have several players targets once the free agent opens on July 1 at 12 p.m.
Mitch Marner
We’re going to explode, Mitch Marner is the main target. Of course, the Saber should aim at him, which is somewhat realistic. Marner scored a career-high in assists (75) and points (102), the most popular free agent this offseason. With a report from Pierre Lebrun that Marner could accept shorter deals to get another payday, at his peak, he would feel the reality (from ‘NHL Rumblings: Who’s on Toews, plus the latest news from Marner, McDavid, Tavares, Robertson, Robertson, Robertson, and others – sports6/21/25).
I never thought Manner would take the Saber’s seven-year contract, but in this report by Lebron, I was really curious if he would get a two-year contract from the team. A team that wants to add the top six and needs first-tier scores, Marner is perfect for it. Let him play against Tage Thompson, Marner could get 80 assists, and Thompson could get his first 50 goals of his career.
Overall, Marner will do wonders for the sword, and if they want to actually sign him, a two-year contract worth $140-15 million per quarter, that’s what they offer him. For a team that has missed the playoffs in the past 14 seasons and sometimes seems to have no direction, they have zero leverage in signing players with Marner’s talent, especially when teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes are expected to be motivated when signing him.
Nikolaj Ehlers
Whether he will remain in shape with the Winnipeg jet is uncertain. Nikolaj Ehlers played 63 points and each team wanted a top winger. He scored over 20 goals in eight of his 10 seasons, and it felt like he was perfect for the top six of the Sabers.
Compared to Marner, the use of Ehlers is slightly different. I can’t see the world where he didn’t sign a six to seven-year contract, and that’s where the Saber encounters the problem of trying to sign him. If they are interested in signing him, they may have to go above $10-2 million.
He is 29, so that’s something to consider, but if you’re a saber you don’t have to be afraid of age, especially considering how things have been going through the past 14 seasons. If a deal is to be reached, it would be a six-year contract worth $9 million a quarter.
Brock Boeser
In Wing seems to be a thin free agent class, Brock Boeser is the third winger who is coveting. Sabre is one of several teams that kicked tires in Booth racing. With a large team, they will have to make tempting proposals that he cannot miss.
Related: Saber’s Perfect Draft Day is Very Achievable
With 50 points in 75 games (25 goals, 25 assists), Boeser didn’t have the best season in his contract year, but he showed everyone his productivity. From everything from JT Miller and Elias Pettersson, all the drama that took place inside the Vancouver Canucks led to Miller being traded to the New York Rangers, while Jim Rutherford held a monthly press conference that seemed to say too much, Boeser said too much, Boeser kept quiet, Hockey, played Hockey, and was a good player.
The contract could be a seven-year contract worth $8 million per quarter. I do hope he signs elsewhere; however, Saber will be aggressive in the offseason, which includes a positive pursuit of Boeser.
Aaron Ekblad
Aaron Ekblad has been at the heart of the Florida Panthers since he was selected as No. 1 in the 2014 Entry Draft. Ekblad is a key component of back-to-back titles and should be signed and raised from his current title, with an expiration to the forefront.
Saber needs a right-handed defender, and Ekblad is the perfect guy. A great hockey defender who can also shut down the opponent’s haste and become a physical presence, he seems to be everything the Saber is looking for. Inserting him with Rasmus Dahlin’s top defensive opponent would be unfair against the team. Dahlin is one of the best two-way defensive players and paired with physical presence on Ekblad will allow opponents to be released at night and at night.
Given that Ekblad is at his peak, I hope to revolve around the upcoming contract, an eight-year contract worth $7.5 million per quarter, which he signed after the entry-level contract in 2016. If Sabers were to offer Ekblad, I would get a contract of seven years a quarter worth $8 million. He is well worth it, especially in the last three seasons, where he is important to the Panthers’ Stanley Cup.
Vladislav Gavrikov
Last but not least, Vladislav Gavrikov is perfect for the blue line of the Sabre. The real shutdown defender and one of the best defenders in the league, he is exactly what the Saberman is looking for. I know he’s a left shooter, but wearing a pair with Dahlin, he’s great enough to shoot on the right. They will immediately match defense pairs like Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, or even better.
Gavrikov is one of the top defenders for the Los Angeles Kings. According to evolving hockey, he is in the 98th percentile in his defensive performance. That’s the player that Saber is desperately needed on the Blue Line.
Saber needs to do everything possible to reach an agreement with Gavrikov’s free agent agreement. The potential contract looks like a four-year contract worth up to $70-8 million per quarter. Will he sign with the Saber? Who knows, but the organization needs to work hard to attract top players through free agents.
It is expected to be in the offseason, both through trades and free agents. Hopefully avoiding a widening playoff drought, they need to get one of these five players. The most realistic one is Gavrikov or Boeser. It was Marner for a long time, but you would never know again.
With the opening of Free Player Tuesday: Hockey Writer 2025 Free Player Tracker, be sure to stay up to date with us.
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