The 2020 NHL free agent class features multiple star talents up for taking such as Taylor Hall and Alex Pietrangelo. While there are plenty of stars available to sign this offseason, the Buffalo Sabres should be focused on finding a No. 2 centreman to help relieve the duties of Jack Eichel and add much needed depth to their offensive units. While there may not be star centers of the same quality as Hall and Pietrangelo, the Sabres do have some solid options that they should certainly target this offseason if they hope next season to make the playoffs.
The team has endured a massive management shakeup just a couple weeks ago and they need to make some changes. Finding a center to back up Jack Eichel should be one of the top properties and needs to be addressed.
Each of the Sabres options have their ups and downs, but all have the potential to help steer the team in a positive direction. Below are four upcoming free agent centreman who the Sabres could target this offseason in order to hep turn Buffalo into a contender.
Mikael Granlund
Mikael Granlund is one of the top UFA centreman available on the market this offseason. Although he spent the majority of his time in Nashville on the wing, Granlund has plenty of experience, having played as centre during his time with the Wild. In Minnesota, Granlund became a top centreman on his team, hitting the 60+ point plateau twice.
He became one of Finland’s top avengers on the national stage as well, but despite his success during his time with the Wild, he was traded to the Predators in their attempt to shake things up and get younger. Granlund had a decent, but short tenure in Nashville, but was never quite able to duplicate his success with the Wild in Nashville. Granlund is expected to depart from the Predators in free agency and find a new home, likely one in which he can play down the middle of the ice as well.
The Buffalo Sabres should make no mistake in trying to sign Granlund this offseason. The Sabres have started off strong the past two seasons, but fell over time, largely due to their lack of depth. With Granlund taking on the second line centreman role, the team will have another option to rely upon besides Jack Eichel and will have a much stronger top-six.
Mikko Koivu
At 37-years-old, Koivu‘s best days of hockey are well behind him. However, despite his age, he could be a solid option for the Buffalo Sabres, at least for now. While they wait and hope for some of their young centreman prospects such as Casey Mittelstadt to develop, they could sign Koivu to take the second line centreman role in the meantime.
Due to his age, he would likely only fetch a one or two year deal at a fair cost which would give the Sabres time for their young centreman to develop while simultaneously filling the hole that is their lack of centreman depth. While Koivu may not be the Sabres top option, Buffalo may not have many others, and given top-six minutes and solid line-mates, he could fair out nicely for the Sabres, at least for the time being.
Alex Galchenyuk
The Buffalo Sabres could very well be Alex Galchenyuk’s fifth team in four seasons if he does not re-sign with Minnesota in free agency. Galchenyuk has moved around the league over the past couple of years and spent the 2019-2020 season split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Minnesota Wild. After spending the past few years moving around, Galchenyuk will certainly be looking for a place to call home for the foreseeable future.
With many teams in the league likely not willing to commit to him long-term, the Sabres, who desperately need a centreman, could quietly slip in and offer him the term and money that would convince him to call Buffalo home. After being drafted third overall by the Montreal Canadiens, Galchenyuk showed flashes of elite skill, but was not able to show the consistency that the Habs had hoped for when they drafted him. Some will argue that it was a combination of external issues and the Habs lack of faith in him that stopped him from reaching his full potential. In Buffalo, Galchenyuk would be given every opportunity to play down the middle of the ice and given top-six minutes consistently which is something he has wanted and needed throughout his entire career.
Derek Brassard
Like Galchenyuk, Derek Brassard has jumped around the league over the past couple of years. Last season, he played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Florida Panthers and the Colorado Avalanche. Luckily for Brassard, this season, he signed with the New York Islanders and stayed out all year.
Brassard had a bit of a comeback season of sorts with New York with a 32 point year in 66 games. He showed the league this year that he still has stuff left in the tank, especially when given time to adjust to his surroundings. The 32-year-old centreman averaged just 13:41 of ice time this year and spent majority of the season outside of the top-six.
He even spent time on the team’s fourth line at times due to the Islanders acquisition of Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Regardless, Brassard showed that he can still produce at a consistent pace, even without top minutes. On the Sabres, he would be given top-six minutes and strong line-mates and would overall be put in a position to succeed. The Sabres would give him every chance he could to find his game which would surely benefit the veteran centreman.
It is clear that the Sabres need to add a top-six centreman and they need to do it fast. While the team hopes that their prospects, such as Casey Mittelstadt, can step up soon and take on top-six roles, the Sabres cannot afford to wait and see if it will or will not happen. Taking a chance on one of the above free agents may not be the second line centre that the Sabres have been looking for, but it is at least an improvement of what they have now and a good place to start without having to give up assets or players in a trade.